Victoria’s Lifeline  -  Hwy 5 Extra

Not all of the action on Hwy 5 this summer of 2012 was occurring at the Sink Hole and the Bridge.  It was occurring all along Hwy 5 from Hwy 41 in Chanhassen straight west to the Dairy Queen in Victoria.

Lots of equipment traveled through downtown Victoria.

IN DOWNTOWN VICTORIA

AT PARK DRIVE

The intersection of Park Drive and Hwy 5 received considerable attention, along with three other Victoria intersections along Hwy 5.  iMuch of the work included construction of turn lanes to make things safer.

At County Road 10 West

This intersection of Hwy 5 and County Road 11 just west of downtown Victoria and west of the new bridge by the Dairy Queen got some attention.   Entrances to both the DQ and Co. Rd. 11 were upgraded.

At Bavaria Road

Bavaria Road was totally closed toward the start of the summer for total reconstruction and turn lanes.  It turned out great.

At Trunk Highway 41

Turn lanes and upgrading at this intersection are not completed at this time.  Work and detours continue.

THE WAS NEAR

The ceremonial Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, August 29th, 2012, did not mark the end of a long not summer.  It was a stifling 96 degrees that afternoon.

AT MINNEWASHTA PARKWAY

Another Victoria intersection that received improvements and turn lanes is located at the Pumpkin Farm and Faith Lutheran Church.

It looks like a brand new intersection in downtown Victoria.  Notice the new permanent striping.

Brand new turn lanes  on Hwy 5 at Park Drive and Kochia Lane help make it a much safer intersection.

The DQ is located behind the white car.  I really don’t see how this improvement improved things.  At this time it was probably not possible to omit the Hwy 5 entrance to the DQ.  The other road into the DQ (off Co. Rd. 10) is probably viewed as the DQ exit.

The upgraded Rolling Acres Road/Bavaria Road intersection heading east on Hwy 5.

The upgraded Bavaria Road/Rolling Acres Road intersection heading west on Hwy 5.

A banner at the Hwy 41 intersection on Hwy 5 — which is about three miles east of downtown Victoria and within the city limits of Chanhassen — remained in place all summer.

The banner was recently replaced.  Victoria’s Lifeline was once again flowing with traffic.

Ribbon Cutting did not mark the re-opening of Hwy after three months of detours.  See the construction equipment on Hwy 5 working in the background as the ribbon was stretched and about to be cut.  That’s Victoria Mayor Mary Hershberger Thun speaking to a gathering for the occasion and Victoria Councilmember Tom O’Connor holding one end of the ribbon.

But autumn coolness and uninterrupted highway travel was just around the corner!  The end of heat and detours was near — only a day or two away — so there was more celebration in the air than humidity.  That’s Victoria Councilmember Kim Roden holding the other end of the ribbon, and Carver County Commissioner Randy Maluchnik addressing the crowd

Mayor Mary Hershberger Thun, who ably and admirably led the community through the Summer of 2012, thanked everyone for their work and cooperation in helping Victoria successfully navigate the closures of Hwy 5, which is the lifeline of Victoria.

Many of the people that the Mayor thanked were on hand for the Ribbon Cutting. 

They included Victoria city staff, city councilmembers, city committees and groups, businesses, MnDOT, the mayors and leaders of area cities, county commissioners, state officials, engineers and contractors.

Victoria was credited by several people for creating a model of communication and cooperation that should be written and used by other communities when faced with such huge disruption.  That’s Tom Furlong, Mayor of Chanhassen, speaking above.

Carver County Commissioner Jim Ische addressed the gathering.

Senator Julianne Ortman, a resident of Chanhassen, representing much of Carver County, also spoke.

That’s Carver County Commissioner Gayle Degler next to Senator Ortman.

Carver County Commissioner Tom Workman and Steve Ische attended the event.

That’s Waconia City Councilmember Jim Sanborn on the left with Mayor Thun, Mayor Furlong, and Councilmember Roden.

In June 2012, the Victoria Gazette asked Ken Slama, Project Manager with MnDOT, “When will the New Bridge and Sink Hole area be navigable?  His reply, printed in the July 2012 issue of the Gazette, did not come off as a prediction or an estimation but as a statement of fact.

Mr. Slama had replied, “Construction will be complete August 30th, 2012, and open to traffic August 31st, 2012.”  That’s exactly how it came to be.

After three months of construction and detours, traffic was flowing smoothly through Victoria on Friday afternoon, August 31st, 2012 — two days after the Ribbon Cutting.  The end was at hand.

The End