Crow Wing County’s proposed roundabout cost in Crosslake has increased by 66%.

That’s because the program that was initially thought to help pay for it is not eligible for engineering or right of way acquisitions. So, while the grant application price decreases by $160,000, the county’s contribution increases by $160,000.

“[The] fund increase would also be with a combination – it’s eligible for local option sales tax, but because the proposal’s on the state aid system, it could also be – state aid funds could be utilized, the gas tax money that we get each year could be used for that, too,” said Tim Bray, Crow Wing County Engineer. “We’re still ironing out a lot of the details. We’re applying for this grant on the concept, these are planning level estimates.”

The change in cost does not affect any current highway department budgets because the project won’t be constructed until 2024.

By — Lakeland News