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According to the Stearns County Highway Department, the county has received funds for the project from the state, which is turning the road back over to the county. The county has designated the new name for Highway 124 as CSAH 66. It is also known as Lake Avenue.

The county expects to bid the Lake Avenue project in January and rebuild the road next summer, including realigning the intersection with Highway 55 on the south side of Paynesville. This intersection will be squared off and the on and off ramps will be eliminated.

The county estimates this project will cost $750,000.

In conjunction with the road work, the city of Paynesville will be doing work on the utilities (sewer and water lines) as well as addressing stormwater runoff by building a new retention pond.

Another project in the area in 2003 is the resurfacing of the county roads in Roscoe. County Road 10, County Road 68, and County Road 114 are scheduled to be resurfaced in 2003. Only a seven-mile stretch of County Road 10, which runs from Roscoe to Albany, is scheduled to be resurfaced, from Roscoe to just north of St. Martin. The rest of County Road 10, all the way to Albany, is scheduled to be done in 2004.

Another local project has moved back on the county schedule. Turning back County Road 123 to Paynesville Township, originally scheduled for 2003, is now scheduled for 2007. The county would pay the township $100,000 to improve and maintain this road. Also, in 2003, CSAH 13 - from Meire Grove to Melrose, connecting Highway 4 with I-94, will be resurfaced.

In all, the county plans to do $13.7 million in projects in 2003, but this plan needs to get final approval from the county commissioners in January.