Five members of the Albert Lea City Council on Thursday informally indicated their support for a mixed-lane alternative as a recommendation to the reconstruction of Bridge Avenue, which has been a point of debate for several years.

During the Thursday preagenda workshop, councilors Larry Anderson, Al Brooks, Vern Rasmussen, Larry Baker and Ellen Kehr stated they would support a four-lane road on the north end of Bridge Avenue near Northbridge Mall that filters into a three-lane road in the middle segment and then to a two-lane modified road from Richway Drive to Marshall Street. They also showed their support for roundabouts at Hawthorne Street and Marshall Street.

Councilor Reid Olson and Mayor Mike Murtaugh were not in attendance during the discussion.

“I personally think there needs to be a combination of all of those,” Rasmussen said. “I think a four-lane splits the town in half.”

Rasmussen said he wants to keep the residential feel toward the southern end of the street as drivers approach Fountain Lake and maybe even slow down traffic more.

He and several of the other councilors said they don’t want to see people driving on that road as if it were a race track.

City Engineer Steven Jahnke said he will take what the councilors voiced, modify the costs and plans, and bring them back to the council.

Jahnke said he needs a formal resolution before he and Freeborn County Engineer Sue Miller can move forward and apply for any kind of grant money.

The group indicated they will vote formally about the decision toward the end of August.

They said they wanted to have the costs be split 50 percent for the city and 50 percent for the county.

The road, also known as Freeborn County Road 22, is the primary conduit between Albert Lea’s downtown and the commercial and residential areas to the north. The city and county share responsibility for it.

Jahnke said the study of the corridor compiled by SRF Consulting Group Inc. recommended turning the street into a four-lane road, because of projected traffic estimates on the road for the next 50 to 80 years.

The study also said a four-lane design is the only design type that would need to be constructed just once, that would handle traffic for the realistic life of the roadway and that would require right-of-way acquisition only once, Jahnke pointed out.

But ultimately it is up to the council and the county commissioners to decide the outcome for it, he said.

Jahnke said he and Miller have been pushing the issue so hard because they need to have a resolution before they can go after any funding for it.

Funding applications have to be turned in years in advance before the money is actually given out.

Councilors expressed their opinions that they needed to make a decision about which direction they think that road should take so that Jahnke and Miller can move forward with the grant applications.

Freeborn County commissioners have indicated in previous meetings that they did not want to make a decision about the future of the street until the city councilors did so, Rasmussen said.

The councilors stated they want the future of Bridge Avenue to correspond with Blue Zones principles, and they don’t want it to be a hindrance.

The issue will not be on the agenda during the upcoming council meeting on Monday.

During the Monday council meeting, the council will:

Have a public hearing to receive input about the reconstruction of 849 feet of Willamor Road, from Lakeview Boulevard to Crescent Drive.

The road was originally constructed in 1961 and has never been overlaid.

The cost of the project is estimated at about $210,000 with 74 percent being city costs because of Lakeview Park running adjacent to the street. The remainder would be assessed to the nine adjacent property owners.

Vote whether to authorize an agreement with Dairyland Power Cooperative and Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services for an 80-foot right-of-way easement along 780th Avenue near the city’s waste water treatment plant driveway. The companies are proposing to build a transmission loop that would provide more reliable electrical service to areas through an interconnection with ITC Midwest.

Hear a motion from City Manager Victoria Simonsen requesting that the City Council direct her to form a task force to review the existing massage ordinance.

Simonsen said she will suggest that the task force include two council members, representatives from local businesses and members of the Albert Lea Inspection Department.

Vote on setting the assessment interest rate for residents being charged with assessments.

Simonsen said the city was able to get a rate of 2.76 percent on its most recent bond issue, but the city financial consultant is recommending the interest rate be slightly higher at 4.75 percent as it is likely the rates will rise in the future.