With residents raising questions about assessments, timing and street conditions, the Fridley City Council on Dec. 8 unanimously advanced a 2026 street rehabilitation project by ordering plans, specifications and bids.
Assistant City Engineer Brandon Brodhag said the work is a pavement maintenance effort intended to extend street life and prepare for future neighborhood projects. The council first initiated the project Sept. 22.
Streets slated for improvements include Viron Road/Trunk Highway 65 East Service Drive, 63rd Avenue, Skywood Lane, 53rd Avenue, Lincoln Street and 52nd Avenue.
An open house was held Oct. 8. Of 143 notices mailed, five residents attended. An online survey remains open; seven responses had been submitted as of the meeting. Brodhag said feedback will be compiled and addressed where feasible during final design.
A feasibility report found the project cost effective and necessary. Proposed work includes 1.25 miles of pavement rehabilitation using both reclamation and mill-and-overlay methods. No curb, gutter or utility work is planned.
The estimated construction cost is $427,000. The city has budgeted $420,000 for 2026 and will reallocate $100,584.32 from the street maintenance operating budget. Special assessments total $326,415.68.
Assessment amounts vary among neighborhoods. Nine properties along Viron Road and Trunk Highway 65 East Service Drive would be charged $46.79 per lineal foot. In the Highlands neighborhood, two properties are set at $54.74 per lineal foot and seven at $4,300 for reclamation. In Marian Hills, 75 properties would be assessed $1,800 for mill and overlay.
The contract is expected to be awarded in February 2026, with construction beginning in May.
Council Member Ann Bolkcom asked why the project did not include curb and gutter work. Brodhag said the existing curb and gutter were in “really good condition,” though isolated panels may be replaced. He added that the city does not assess for additional utilities under its major roadway assessment policy.
Bolkcom also asked about differences in lineal-foot assessments. Brodhag said the rates reflect the measured area of each street segment, and wider streets cost more to improve.
One resident asked why Lincoln Street needed resurfacing, saying it felt “fairly new.” Brodhag said the street was last surfaced in 2003 and that the next rehabilitation is expected to last more than 20 years. He said the city suspended seal coating because peeling has increased.
“We think what happens is that moisture gets caught in the levels of the seal coat, and the asphalt and the wear course…and it ends up pulling up with it when it’s breaking off,” Brodhag said.
Another resident questioned how the $1,800 assessment would benefit his property. Mayor David Ostwald said assessments are tied to driveway access to the public right of way.
“A lot of residents, depending on the timing when you live in your home, you may not even see an assessment or repair done in your street,” Ostwald said. “Or if you do, if you’ve lived there for forty or fifty years, you may see a one time assessment on it.”
Council Member Ryan Evanson compared the assessment to the cost of having access to one’s home and said the council has directed staff to pursue cost-effective approaches.
“The best I can say is that I think the council and the staff are doing their best to manage those expenses,” Evanson said. “When we recommend a mill and overlay versus a full reclamation it’s with the hope that we don’t have to do the full reclamation for another twenty years, and save everyone a couple of bucks.”
One resident questioned why property owners were covering 60–70% of the cost. Another thanked the city, saying his street had been deteriorating in recent years.
Evanson said he supported the project and believed staff was approaching it as cost-effectively as possible.