By Clay Schuldt

cschuldt@nujournal.com

NEW ULM — The Minnesota Senate Bonding Committee returned to New Ulm Wednesday for a presentation on Highway 14.

Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, opened the presentation by speaking on the importance of Highway 14 to the community.

“New Ulm has several trucking industries within the city that operate and go through Highway 14 daily,” he said. “If we take a look at how Highway 14 ranks in the state as far as percentage of vehicles that are truck traffic versus automobile traffic, it is quite a high percentage.”

Dahms also said it was one of the most unsafe highways in the state.

New Ulm City Planner John Knisley gave the main presentation on Highway 14. He described the highway as the lifeblood of industries in southern Minnesota.

Knisely said Highway 14 is a highly populated corridor with 300,000 people living and working near the highway from New Ulm to Rochester. Since 2013, over $250 million has been invested in four lanes from Rochester to New Ulm.

Knisely said only 12.5 miles remained to complete this connection.

Safety is another concern.

“There is heavy freight traffic moving up and down the highway; especially through Courtland,” Knisely said. “There are these pinch points that can make a dangerous intersection, especially with that truck traffic.”

The fatal crash rate on the highway is a lot higher than the state average. The statewide fatal and serious injury crash rate was 1.14 per year between 2009 and 2018. Over the same time, the crash rate at Highway 14 and County State Aid 24 was 3.04, over twice the average.

New Ulm Police Chief David Borchert and New Ulm Fire Chief Paul Macho spoke on the dangers of Highway 14. Both have responded to several accidents on Highway 14.

Borchert said area law enforcement tries to curb driving behavior to make the road safer, but there was a limit.

“Sometimes it comes down to design,” Borchert said. “I am convinced Highway 14 is dangerous.”

Macho said he believed the improvements at the Highway 14/Highway 15 interchange will make a great difference in terms of safety, but felt the road needed to be completed from New Ulm to Nicollet to make this part of Minnesota safer.

Knisley said the plan is the Highway 14 expansion would bypass Courtland to the north to keep motorists and pedestrians in Courtland safe.

Courtland Mayor Allen Poehler supported the Highway 14 expansion. He cited safety concerns, but also the economic benefits. Poehler said companies are considering a hub in Courtland if the four-lane road is constructed.

“I think that Highway bypass would make the trucking companies better, safety better and a better all-around picture for everyone,” Poehler said.

Knisely said the total estimate for the 12.5-mile four-lane expansion was $96.8 million with $77 million in construction and $19.7 million for right-of-way design and verification.

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Project Manager Zachary Tess said a federal grant application was submitted for $25 million. To submit the grant, MnDOT needed to create a schedule for construction. The aim was to start construction in 2022 and 2023.

MnDOT will learn if they will receive the federal grant by Nov. 12. If approved, MnDOT would provide matching funds for the expansion.

Sen. Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood) asked the local public officials if they had an opinion on the proposed gas tax to fund road improvements.

Mankato City Councilor and Highway 14 Partnership Chair Karen Foreman said it is the government’s responsibility to find a way to fund the highway. She did not have a position on the gas tax, whether taken from auto parts or gas, but said she understood the need for funding due to the safety and economic benefits.

“However you do it, we feel there is a need,” Foreman said.

Owatonna City Councilor Kevin Raney said, “If not a gas tax, then what?”

Raney said MnDOT is struggling to fund road projects and state legislators will need to come together to find the funding.

New Ulm City Councilor David Christian said in talking with local constituents, he believed they were comfortable with a three or four-cent gas tax, but not the huge tax previously proposed.

Other senators were concerned with raising the gas tax without addressing the project selection process. The fear was gas tax money would be reallocated away from road construction projects.

Following the presentation, the Senate Bonding Committee continued on tour of potential bonding projects.

In closing, Dahms said he believed everyone understood the importance of Highway 14 and hoped they could move the project forward.