Public Hearing Set for Reconfiguration of East St. Germain Street

(KNSI) – St. Cloud will take public comment on a plan to change the driving lanes on a main drag in East St. Cloud.

St. Cloud Public Works Director Tracy Hodel explained to KNSI News what part of East St. Germain Street will get attention. “We’ve got the old-style four-lane configuration, so no public parking located within the roadway itself. So, we are looking at totally reconfiguring East St. Germain Street from Veterans Bridge to the [railroad] tracks. And the change you’re going to see is we’ll go to a newer style three-lane roadway with dedicated left turn lanes.”

The left turn lane will run down the middle of the road with the outside lanes for traffic and right-hand turns. The cost of the project is around $75,000. That covers traffic signal modifications, grinding and installing pavement markings, and putting up parking limit signs. Hodel says the changes are part of the long-range plans to remake the east end. “We really want to encourage business growth and opportunities, we’ve got Iron Street Distillery down there, which is fantastic. And so just growing on that and growing on some other companies that are in businesses that are interested in starting a business down there. Having that public on-street parking, I think it’d be a great advantage for those businesses.”

The move would create 37 on-street parking spots between the bridge and Iron Street Distillery. If approved, work could be started and completed this fall or next spring.

Residents and business owners can give their two cents on the projects during next week’s city council meeting. It gets underway at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

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