BAXTER — More than 300 people packed the meeting space at Forestview Middle School Monday, Nov. 3, in Baxter with the majority of speakers opposed to buttonhook design for a Highway 371 overpass.

Minnesota Department of Transportation engineers and those involved with the project sat stoically in the front row listening to commenters after presenting a brief overview. About 36 people spoke to the council at the podium, most urged the council to vote against the buttonhook design. Many urged the council to work with MnDOT to come up with a better design in answer to concerns for business access, the economy of the city’s main business district and for altering the very character of the city.

Baxter City Council members and staff sat on the stage on either side of a giant screen that prese

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