371 Overpass Guest Editorial

MATT KILIAN, PRESIDENT

Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce

The Highway 371 overpass needs a better, simpler design.

Imagine you’re a first-time visitor driving up from the Twin Cities. Your kids are hungry, and you catch a glimpse of Poncho and Lefty’s on the left.

Today, your route is simple. Drive north through the 371/210 intersection. Turn at Excelsior Road. If you miss that turn, you can hang another left. You arrive, you eat, you might shop nearby, and you leave thinking you’ll be back.

Now imagine you’re a senior citizen on your way to Essentia’s new orthopedic clinic from the south. You don’t drive as much as you used to, but you know the route. You take a familiar left and you’re there.

If the proposed “buttonhook” interchange design is approved by the Baxter City Council, both trips change. Each driver would rise onto an overpass at high speed, merge into the right lane at the right time, circle two roundabouts, pass under 371, then take yet another roundabout to reach their destinations. If they miss the exit, they’d have to backtrack a mile.

That’s a lot to ask of tourists who do not know our streets. It’s a lot to ask of seniors headed to medical appointments. It’s a lot to ask of families with kids in the back seat.

And it’s just too much for our local businesses to accept.

Local businesses are not afraid of change. They’re afraid of vanishing. Owners tell us they worry about customers speeding by or never finding them at all. Some fear they will be forced to close or relocate. Others wonder whether they can survive two years of construction followed by a design that feels like a permanent detour.

"If they miss the exit, they’d have to backtrack a mile."

For those who aren’t aware, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) is proposing to replace Baxter’s prime intersection with an overpass and interchange system, raising Highway 371 over Highway 210 and adding several roundabouts on both sides. Construction is scheduled for 2028 and 2029 with a budget of $58 million.

Nothing like it exists in Minnesota.

Since 2023, our chamber has hosted several meetings with MNDOT engineers and local government staff. More than 200 businesses showed up. We studied maps, provided feedback and sketched alternatives. The goals were to improve safety and traffic flow while keeping Baxter easy to reach. Come up with a design that keeps customers, workers, patients and visitors coming into town rather than sailing past it.

On June 4, MNDOT suddenly ended that partnership process. More than 140 days have passed since then. Those 4+ months could have been used to come up with a simpler design that works better for everyone. Instead, we find ourselves engaged in a high-stakes battle over the future of our community and the survival of many local businesses.

Yes, this intersection is busy and complex. Summer weekends can be frustrating. Population and tourism growth are real. In many ways, the buttonhook is ingenious but it’s over-engineered and causes too much collateral damage. It splits Baxter in two.

Safer does not have to mean more complicated. Faster should not mean people just pass us by. A simpler, community-friendly design with slower speed limits can reduce crashes, clear up confusion, and keep everyday trips intuitive.

The Baxter City Council must now decide whether to approve the buttonhook design or vote no and demand changes. It’s no exaggeration to say their decision will shape the entire Lakes Area.

Their ayes and nays will impact how we reach work, schools, churches, clinics, shops and restaurants. They will influence how travelers will experience our area, which businesses will thrive and fail, and whether families will still see Baxter as a convenient, attractive place to live.

Voting no could risk a multi-million dollar project with no guarantees that MNDOT won’t just hand the money to another town. Voting yes could fix some issues while locking in a layout that puts Baxter at risk.

That is a heavy choice. We do not envy it, but we believe there is only one way to vote.

Hell no.

If you agree, please do two things.

First, learn more about the project at www.371overpass.com. You can read our take, see the revealing photos, and contact the Baxter City Council from the site.

Second, have the courage to speak up at the public hearing at 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 3 at Forestview Middle School. You don’t need a perfect speech, and you don’t have to be an expert to have an opinion about your town.

Share how you use this area. Share what connection and convenience mean for your family or business. Tell the council you support safety and better flow. And tell them you want a simpler design that doesn’t risk the future of our community.

Learn More Online

Learn more about the project, read our take, see the revealing photos, and contact the Baxter City Council.

Public Hearing

Monday, November 3 at 6:00 PM Forestview Middle School

Read what more than 240 Lakes Area businesses told the Baxter City Council.

MATT KILIAN, PRESIDENT

Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce

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