Rice Lake Rd Corridor Improvement Project

St. Louis County is requesting funding to create a multimodal gateway for the City of Rice Lake, Minnesota through the reconstruction of roadways, the improvement of intersections, and the construction of new multimodal trails. The Rice Lake Rd (CSAH 4) Corridor Project is a cooperative effort led by St. Louis County with the City of Rice Lake. Project goals include:

• Improve traffic safety for all transportation users at key intersections by utilizing proven safety countermeasures.
• Reduce traffic congestion and associated carbon emissions.
• Preserve the public’s previous investment in the function of Rice Lake Rd (CSAH 4) as a Minor Arterial.
• Create a roadway corridor that invites development resulting in new housing and jobs.
• Manage access through proven access management strategies including the creation of a new city street network.
• Support traffic calming to create an environment that is welcoming to all transportation users.
• Incorporate accessibility for active transportation users.

The Rice Lake Rd corridor is currently out of balance due to competing interests in the project area.  Rice Lake Rd’s function as a Minor Arterial does not align with current or forecasted traffic operations causing safety concerns, increasing the need for access management, limiting new development, and straining the associated demand for new access. The City of Rice Lake envisions Rice Lake Rd as the gateway into a future downtown area. The current state of the corridor and surrounding project area does not align with this vision.

Rice Lake Rd is a regionally significant roadway that serves the City of Rice Lake, acts as a key commuter and truck route for the Duluth metro area, and connects to the East Iron Range communities—a nationally strategic mining area. Rice Lake Rd experiences significant congestion and safety concerns, particularly at the intersections of Martin Rd (CSAH 9) and West Calvary Rd (CR 234). The proposed project will reconstruct the two-lane, undivided rural roads as urban corridors with non-traversable medians and intersection improvements, vastly improving access management and vehicle safety while positioning the project area for anticipated, mixed-use growth. The project will also provide continuous pedestrian/bicycle trails that connect to the greater Duluth-area sidewalk and trail system.