MARSHALL — Plans to re-align the intersection of Country Club Drive and South Fourth Street in Marshall took a step forward this week. On Tuesday night, the Marshall City Council approved a proposal from Mankato engineering firm Short Elliott Hendrickson to work on the design for the project.

The engineering proposal from SEH would have a cost not to exceed $244,850, said Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson.

“This is a construction project that’s on our capital improvement plan for 2027,” Anderson said.

The project would include the reconstruction of South Fourth Street between West College Drive and Country Club Drive, and Country Club Drive between South Fourth Street and West College Drive.

Anderson said the project would also get rid of the stoplight at the intersection of Country Club Drive and South Fourth Street. The project would also change the intersection “to a split T type of intersection, with a mini-roundabout on one side, and just a normal stop-controlled intersection on the other.”

“We do have federal funds for this project,” Anderson said.

He said the project is estimated to cost $3.15 million.

“We do have $824,000 in federal grants. We secured two grants over the past three or four years for this project,” he said.

Anderson said city staff also planned to use state aid funds to pay for the engineering contract.

Anderson said Marshall city staff and the city council’s public improvement and transportation committee worked to review engineering proposals for the project.

“We solicited proposals for engineering and design on this project from SEH and Bolton & Menk,” he said. SEH’s proposal scored the highest with a review committee, Anderson said.

“Both of these proposals were very strong,” said city council member Craig Schafer.

SEH’s engineering proposal not only had the lower cost of the two, but SEH had past experience with traffic studies and transportation projects in Marshall.

“I think with the grants, it is time to do this. This has been an intersection that has been a lot of concern,” Schafer said.

“Fourth Street and Country Club Drive has a pretty broad distance intersection. It’s not very pedestrian-friendly,” he said.

Anderson said the intersection also had a “skew,” where the two streets met at a sharp angle. The current traffic light at the intersection was built in 1983, and was out of compliance with current standards, he said.

Council members voted to approve the SEH engineering proposal, with costs not to exceed $244,850.