371 overpass: Where we go from here.

January 21, 2026
3:42 pm

Message by MATT KILIAN, PRESIDENT

371 overpass: Where we go from here.

I know many of you are not located in Baxter, but we’ve been keeping you updated due to the broad interest in the Hwy 371 overpass issue.

At their meeting last night, Baxter City Council members essentially voted to approve the overpass design with conditions that MNDOT will likely accept. The final tally was 3-2 with Mayor Darrel Olson, Connie Lyscio and Zach Tabatt voting approval. Patrick Sundberg and Mark Cross dissented.

It’s our undertanding that MNDOT now has 30 days to respond. If they don’t accept the City Council’s conditions, they can cancel the project or appeal the decision. Neither is likely at this point. The buttonhook design is expected to remain 99% intact with a 2028-29 construction schedule.

Needless to say, this is not the result the business community hoped for. Many small business owners are distraught today, and it doesn’t serve any purpose to pretend otherwise. We all need to continue supporting them.

Thank you to the business leaders and residents who took the time to stay engaged. Your efforts mattered, and they will continue to matter. Even though it may not feel like it, you made the process and the project better.

I also want to acknowledge the City Council for taking on a difficult issue in a high-pressure environment. I can confirm that each council member definitely heard and considered business concerns. I met with all of them multiple times, and they made an informed decision, even if it’s not the one we preferred.

Regarding the seven conditions (see list below), we can tentatively celebrate a few wins.

Keeping the southbound Hwy 371 right turn at Design Road should help make the new Essentia clinic and neighboring businesses more accessible.
Keeping the current intersection at Golf Course Drive and Hwy 210 should do the same for businesses there.
The inclusion of wayfinding signage was always expected, but we were initially told the blue logo signs (gas-food-lodging) were not allowable. They should be available now.

Another directive was improving the Glory Road intersection (near El Tequila restaurant) within three years, with the exact configuration undetermined.

Frankly, the remaining conditions were written in engineering-speak and read more like generic requests than MNDOT obligations. “Monitoring, studying and coordinating” do not ensure accountability if there are no timelines, metrics or corrective actions defined.

We will hold the City of Baxter to its commitment that local taxpayers will not be on the hook for an estimated $4-5 million in related projects, the details of which were just released last Friday. They need to secure the potential funds that city staff spelled out in that memo. No tax hikes, no surprise assessments.

Whether you’re a Chamber member or government colleague, please know that we will always stand up and speak up for our business community. We made a strong case for a different path forward, and we won’t apologize for that.

But in many ways, the real work begins now. We will move forward in good faith with the City of Baxter and MNDOT to minimize harmful impacts and help our businesses navigate the construction period and the era that comes next.

We have confidence in the resilience of our small businesses as we head into four years of major road construction, starting with Washington Street this spring. It will be challenging, to say the least.

If you are outside the construction areas, please remember that those inside them will need your support in the months and years ahead.

Buy local. Promote local. Go out of your way to be Lakes Proud.

Thanks again for supporting the Chamber and our business community.

MATT KILIAN, PRESIDENT

Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce

Baxter City Council Municipal Consent Conditions

CONDITION #1

MnDOT shall monitor traffic operations at the Highway 210 east ramp intersection as traffic volumes increase toward the 2050 design year. If queuing, spillback or other operational deficiencies are identified that adversely affect safety or mainline operations, MnDOT shall implement corrective operational or geometric improvements. MnDOT shall ensure adequate right of way, grading limits and geometric flexibility are preserved within the current project design to accommodate future reconfiguration alternatives.

CONDITION #2

Following completion of construction, MnDOT shall conduct a speed study and shall establish the posted speed limit in strict accordance with Minnesota Statute 169.14. The posted speed limit shall be based on observed operating speeds and post-construction roadway conditions and shall not automatically default to posted speed limits assumed during the project’s design phase without supporting data and formal documentation.

CONDITION #3

MnDOT will coordinate with affected businesses to implement wayfinding signage through the Minnesota Logo Sign Franchise Program. MnDOT shall ensure that signage is provided in locations, quantities and timeframes sufficient to minimize driver confusion and backtracking associated with the interchange, consistent with applicable MnDOT policies and state statutes.

CONDITION #4

MnDOT shall coordinate with the city to conduct post-construction monitoring of traffic operations and safety at the Clearwater Road and Woida Road intersections. If monitoring identifies safety, operational or capacity deficiencies that are reasonably attributable to traffic redistribution resulting from the interchange project, MnDOT shall evaluate and advance appropriate improvements in coordination with the city.

CONDITION #5

Glory Road (west leg). MnDOT shall collaborate with the city to advance a signal replacement project at the Highway 371/Glory Road intersection with specific attention to the westerly leg, recognizing anticipated interchange-related traffic growth. MnDOT shall complete an intersection analysis to define required improvements for the entire intersection, including appropriate lane configurations and storage lengths to accommodate observed and projected traffic pattern shifts. The replacement signal shall be designed and implemented within three years of the interchange being open to traffic.