When winter ends and spring road construction season begins, Blue Earth residents are going to be seeing four street projects underway during the summer.

The Blue Earth City Council looked over plans for four projects that will be done in addition to the Minnesota State Highway Department’s large Highway 169 reconstruction project.

One of the projects covers one block of Third Street from Highway 169 to Walnut Street.

City engineer Wes Brown says this is an addition to the schedule and was made necessary due to drainage issues on the Highway 169 project.

“MnDOT is going to put in a large storm sewer line on that street,” Brown says. “We decided to add it to our list of utility and street projects so we would not have to dig it up again at a later date.”

The project, which includes water main, sanitary sewer and street construction as well as the storm sewer line, will cost an estimated $303,282.

The four property owners on the street will share in part of that cost, totaling $45,563.

Three other projects were already on the city’s schedule for 2013.

The largest one is Highland Drive in Valley Highlands Subdivision, where the cost of all the work is estimated to be $1.46 million.

The project includes sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water main, street and sidewalk construction.

Also on the docket is 11th Street from Main Street to Moore Street, with sanitary sewer and water main replacment and street improvement.

Total cost is estimated to be $197,700.

The fourth project is 12th Street from Main Street to Galbraith Street.

Again, this project includes sanitary sewer and water main replacement, as well as a small amount of storm sewer work. It also includes street improvement. Total cost of this work is estimated at $369,900.

The total amount of the work of the Highlands Drive, 11th and 12th street projects that will be assessed to local property owners is estimated to be $608,111.

The council spent some time discussing the width of the street for Highlands Drive and whether it needs to be 36 feet wide.

They also discussed the proposed sidewalk/trail. That cost is estimated to be $182,000 because it includes having to do some retaining wall construction along parts of it.

The sidewalk was deemed not to be assessed to landowners as it is being considered a trail.

“Whether you call it a trail or sidewalk, it is going to be four and a half feet wide and made of concrete,” Brown says.