Le Sueur County has big projects planned for 2018

Le Sueur County has some big and expensive projects either starting or continuing in 2018.

“We have a lot going on in 2018,” said County Administrator Darrell Pettis.

Among them are the continuation of the Le Sueur County Justice Center, reconstruction of Highway 112 between Le Center and Le Sueur, and the West Jefferson Sewer District.

The Le Sueur County Justice Center is front and center to residents as they drive into Le Center. According to Pettis, groundwork started on the $23 million project last fall. Bids will be taken the end of March or early April for the remainder of the work to be done. Residents should soon start seeing visual progress this year. 

Plans call for a 65,900-square-foot building on a 5-acre site just south of Highway 99 and East of County Road 11. The project will enable the county to more securely transport inmates from their cells to the courthouse — and meet state requirements for long-term housing of inmates.

“The building will take shape. Most of what’s been done has been underground (foundations, footings…etc), but the walls will start going up this year,” Pettis said. “We anticipate that project going until July, 2019.”

The project also includes remodeling about 18,000 square feet in the historical courthouse that will be used for administrative offices. 

The Sheriff’s Office might be used as Le Center’s Public Library, Pettis noted.

Reconstruction of State Highway 112

Another project that will impact county residents in 2018 is the full reconstruction of State Highway 112, the 15-mile stretch between Le Center and Le Sueur.

“It’s a real trail of a road. It’s in really bad shape,” he said. “It needs a lot of work.”

Before the job begins, the road was redesigned and given back to the county. Pettis said the first county board meeting of the year authorized the Department of Transportation to return that portion of the road back to the county, changing it from a state highway to a county state aid highway. The cost for that project is estimated to cost $33 million which the state will give to the county to reconstruct it, Pettis said.

Pettis expects work to begin on that late summer or hopefully, early fall. The rural portion of the project is expected to take two years to complete, and another year and a half for the portion located in the City of Le Sueur.

Lake Jefferson Sewer District

A third big project for the county is the sanitary project from Lake Jefferson to the City of Cleveland. Pettis expects the bid opening to happen and construction to start mid-summer of 2018. That project is expected to cost $4.5 million, of which 80 percent is expected to be funded by a state grant. 

Pettis added that the highway department also has some smaller projects that include paving jobs from County Road 5 from Highway 99 to 26, and some bridge work in the county.