MARSHALL — Planning for a major reconstruction project on Minnesota Highway 19 in Marshall doesn’t just involve the road — there will also be storm sewer and other utility improvements going on. This week, staff from the city of Marshall went to the Lyon County drainage authority for approval on a proposed upgrade to a storm sewer connection under North Bruce Street.

The city was granted permission to use County Ditch 62 as an outlet for the connection. Engineers at Tuesday’s drainage authority meeting said the update wouldn’t increase the burden on the public drainage ditch.

The city’s request comes as the Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to rebuild part of Highway 19 (College Drive) in Marshall, starting next year. The street construction would affect College Drive from a point west of Marlene Street, all the way to the intersection of East College Drive and North Bruce Street. While the road construction is going on, the city also plans to do utility work underneath the street.

Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson, and Jacob Rischmiller of engineering firm ISG, said the city wanted to replace a connection between part of the Marshall storm sewer and County Ditch 62. CD 62 runs underground along part of East College Drive before turning northward and running into a stormwater retention pond near Southwest Minnesota State University. The ditch heads out of the Marshall city limits from there.

The ditch system was built in the 1950s, when the area around what is now East College Drive was mostly farmland, said John Biren, Lyon County Planning and Zoning administrator. During flood mitigation projects in the 1990s, the retention pond near SMSU and the storm sewer connection with CD 62 were built.

Rischmiller said the city of Marshall was requesting to replace the corrugated metal pipe that currently connects to CD 62. The pipe is in poor condition, Rischmiller said in a memo to county staff. The city was proposing to build a new connection, with reinforced concrete pipe connecting to a storm sewer structure.

Rischmiller said ISG recommended changing the grade of one of the pipelines connecting to the ditch, so the proposed connection wouldn’t put an additional impact on the ditch system.

Biren also said the water control system and outlet on the retention pond near SMSU would not be changed by the city’s project.

County commissioners granted permission for the city to use CD 62 as an outlet.