Highway 27 route to change in Douglas County

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Motorists travelling on Highway 27 through parts of Douglas County will follow a new route using existing roads starting Thursday, November 1.

Highway 27 will follow Interstate 94 from the interchange on the west side of Alexandria to the Osakis exit. From the Osakis exit to Osakis, Highway 27 will follow the current route of Highway 127.

The current Highway 27 between those points will be transferred to Douglas County.

As a result of the transfer, several road names will change:

-Highway 127 will become Highway 27.

-Current Highway 27 between I-94 and Highway 29/Broadway St. on the west side of Alexandria will be renamed Douglas County Road 46 but will be addressed as 34th Avenue.

-Current Highway 27 from Highway 29/Nokomis St. in Alexandria to Osakis will be renamed and addressed as Douglas County Road 82.

The changes are part of a larger road jurisdictional transfer recommended in the 2011 Alexandria Area 2030 Transportation Study. The study recommends several road transfers involving the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Douglas County, the city of Alexandria and neighboring townships.

As part of the change, MnDOT will provide a $1 million lump sum payment to Douglas County. The payment is intended to help the county off-set some additional costs involved with maintaining the road.

Signs along the route will change in early 2013, but maintenance responsibility will shift immediately. MnDOT and Douglas County will coordinate the sign changes.

Tags: local news, highway 27, news, osakis, travel