BLAINE, Minn – (Aug. 17, 2017) – The city of Blaine broke ground on the reconstruction of 105th Avenue on Monday Aug. 14. The road was first built in 1989, and for many years, 105th Avenue has been in need of a serious upgrade.
“With all the people that come here every year … even from foreign countries … I don’t like to take them on this road,” said the Mayor of Blaine Tom Ryan. “It’s an embarrassment and it should have been done many years ago.”
The road was in such bad condition that it had become a danger to pedestrians, police officers, and children. The new design will make the road much safer for all.
“It’ll be more narrow, it’ll have the raised medians [and] double roundabouts,” Ryan said.
About 10,000 vehicles a day drive down 105th Avenue. Many are heading to the National Sports Center, which attracts 4 million visitors per year. During the nine days of USA Cup more than 1,000 soccer teams come to Blaine. Thanks to the state bonding bill, getting to the National Sports Center will be much easier.
“It was only $3 million [dollars] we got from the state…but it’s $3 million [dollars] that we needed,” Ryan said.
Nonetheless, 105th Avenue serves as more than just a road to the sports center.
“This is a direct route to 35-W” Ryan said. “It’s one of the only routes that go over to 35-W”
The completion of 105th Avenue will be done in two parts. Half of the road will be finished by the end of 2017, and the other half is scheduled to be completed next year, before the 2018 USA Cup.
