Southwest Beltline Study

 

What Is It?

Questions?
Email Jodi Teich
or call 320.255.6180

The Southwest Beltline Scoping Study is a first step toward developing a future transportation corridor.

The proposed Southwest Arterial is part of a larger arterial ring-system concept that will link communities such as St. Cloud, St. Joseph, Sartell, Waite Park and Sauk Rapids. The road would become future Stearns County State Aid Highway 84 (CSAH 84).

The Southwest Beltline project is a concept first addressed in the Transportation section of the 1998 Comprehensive Plan (trans-8a) and studied in more detail in the 2001 Southwest Arterial Alignment Study, as well as the ongoing 33rd Street Corridor Study (detail on this study can be found at the City of St. Cloud web site).

The Beltline will extend St. Cloud's 33rd Street South to the west from Trunk Highway 15 to Trunk Highway 23, and then north/northwest to the intersection of CSAH 4 and CSAH 133.

Past studies have identified three potential paths, or corridors:

  1. West, near the edge of the city of St. Joseph and the west side of St. Joseph township
  2. Central, through growth areas for both St. Joseph and Waite Park
  3. Eastern, through the city of Waite Park and the east edge of St. Joseph township
See maps of each corridor on our Project Maps page.

Beltline Project Public Process figure

Download a matrix of the key players and public's involvement in this project study (24 Kb PDF)

What is The Process?

There are three major steps in the process:

  1. The first step is scoping, and its associated activities. Scoping will identify the most realistic corridor alignments, and note any environmental, social, economic, and transportation issues that are associated. The scoping study will not select a preferred alignment.
  2. Following the scoping process, an environmental impact statement (EIS) will be initiated and completed. This EIS process will address the environmental issues noted during scoping.
    At the end of the EIS process, a preferred alignment and two formal records will be issued, showing that state and federal review processes have been completed. The Federal notice is named a Record of Decision, and the State's is called an Adequacy Determination. 
  3. Completing all the steps in the environmental review process will allow Stearns County to pursue funding for construction and right-of-way preservation, and official mapping for the proposed roadway corridor. Corridor preservation activities will protect the alignment until sufficient funds are secured to construct segments, or the entire corridor.

Anticipated Schedule for Completing Beltline Project Activities

(schedule subject to change)

Federal Notice of Intent
 Fall 2007
Scoping Document / Draft Scoping Decision Document
 Fall 2008
Public Scoping Comment Period
 Dec. 15, 2008 - Jan. 14, 2009
Public Scoping Meeting
 January 7, 2009
Scoping Decision Document
 Fall 2009
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
 2010 - 2012
Draft Environmental Impact Statement Public Hearing
 2012
Identification of Preferred Alternative
 2013
Final Environmental Impact Statement
 2013
Stearns County Adequacy Determination
 2014
FHWA Record of Decision
 2014
Corridor Preservation
 2014 - ongoing
Final Design and Construction
 Dependent upon funding availability