Safer Hwy. 33 crossing will be discussed

The south State Highway 33 corridor will be seeing more changes in the future, specifically where Gillette Road and Frontage Road open onto the highway south of the Walmart traffic lights in Cloquet.

With the anticipated construction of the new Essentia Clinic on Gillette Road west of Highway 33 and bustling business traffic along the Frontage Road on the east side, city officials said they want to be proactive.

"We are trying to get ahead of the potential traffic impacts that we know are coming," Cloquet public works director Caleb Peterson told the Cloquet City Council at its July 21 meeting.

Currently a driver can cross both lanes of traffic on Highway 33 (or stop in the middle and wait) from either road. They can also turn left onto either road from Highway 33.

The proposed plan, designed by MnDOT engineers, shows a restricted crossing called a J-turn, which would no longer allow people exiting the side roads to drive across Highway 33. Instead they could turn only right. Drivers exiting Gillette Road would have to drive to the roundabout and around to head north, while drivers exiting the Frontage Road would have to turn right and then do a U-turn to go south. Drivers on Hwy 33 could still go straight or turn left or right onto Gillette or Frontage Road. The proposed intersection includes a special lane for ATVs and snowmobiles.

MnDOT engineer Christian Lawien said the new J-turn will increase safety at the intersection and also improve the intersection capacity.

Lawien also suggested that most people coming from the west side of Highway 33 who want to travel north will likely learn to exit at the traffic light.

The estimated cost of the project is $950,000 with $665,000 of that paid by a state Transportation Economic Development grant - which covers 70 percent of costs - and $285,000 paid from the city's sales tax funds.

Peterson compared the proposal to the changes at the Armory Road and Highway 33 intersection, which he said have reduced confusion and made the traffic flow better there.

Construction on the project is anticipated to take two months in 2022. Lawien said they anticipate single-lane closures each way during construction, with all through lanes opening up from noon Friday through Sunday night to accommodate the increased weekend traffic.

Virtual public meeting Wednesday

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host a public meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 to learn more about the proposed restricted crossing and U-turn planned at the intersection of Highway 33 and Gillette Road in Cloquet, with construction set for 2022.The meeting will be held virtually through WebEx. Join the meeting by visiting minnesota.webex.com. The meeting access code is 146 361 3234 and the meeting password is JvtPk5HBa68. If you would rather call in, dial 855-282-6330. If you are unable to attend, a recording of the meeting will be posted on the project website at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/projects/hwy33/index.html.