Photo by Deb Gau The intersection of Minnesota Highway 19 (East College Drive) and Whitney Street is one of a few Marshall intersections that will be getting temporary traffic cameras this week, MnDOT said.

MARSHALL — Some of the concerns raised at community planning sessions about Minnesota Highway 19 in Marshall weren’t just focused on the highway. Marshall area residents said they also thought traffic issues on some cross streets should be addressed — for example, at one session, residents said they thought a stop light should be put back at the intersection of College Drive and Whitney Street.

Now, the Whitney Street intersection and a few other intersections along the Highway 19 corridor in town will have cameras put in place to study traffic patterns.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be conducting traffic counts this week at the intersections of College Drive and Greeley Street, Marvin Schwan Memorial Drive, Redwood Street and Whitney Street.

“We will be looking at cross streets as well as the (Highway 19) corridor,” said Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, director of public engagement for MnDOT’s District 8. The cameras will help MnDOT learn more about turning patterns at each of the intersections, she said.

The traffic data collected this week will help MnDOT as it begins planning for a reconstruction of the highway in 2025. Highway 19, which becomes College Drive in Marshall, will be under construction from the intersection with South Fourth Street near the National Guard Armory, all the way to the intersection with Bruce Street.

Taking traffic counts are a normal part of planning for highway projects, Lighthizer-Schmidt said. The upcoming Highway 19 project is no different. Doing the traffic count this week would give MnDOT an idea of what traffic and turning patterns are like while school is in session, and while the weather is still clear, she said.

The DOT has been doing a lot of public engagement before designing plans for construction on Highway 19.

Earlier this month, a pair of “World Cafe” events were held to listen to area residents’ ideas on what the project should address. An online survey is also available for the public to give feedback on the project. There are still a few days left to take the survey — Lighthizer-Schmidt said it will be available until midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Area residents can take the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/marshallvision.