GRANITE FALLS — Plans to expand U.S. Highway 212 in the Twin Cities metropolitan area drew support this week from the Yellow Medicine County Board, in hopes that it will bring more economic activity to all parts of the 212 corridor.

The board endorsed additional four-lane construction in Carver County near Chaska. Highway 212 continues westward through McLeod and Renville counties, then passes through Granite Falls and Montevideo before it reaches the South Dakota border near Marietta in Lac qui Parle County.

“It deserves support from outstate counties, and it would also help to include counties in South Dakota,” said Yellow Medicine County Commissioner Glen Kack. “We have trucking companies and industries out here that could benefit from having more of a highway.”

The board voted to provide a letter of support for the Carver County expansion proposal. It was noted in discussion that Minnesota Department of Transportation District 8 is the only district in the state that doesn’t have a complete four-lane highway.

U.S. Highway 212 has four lanes until it reaches the Glencoe area in McLeod County. Even as a mostly two-lane road, it serves as a valuable corridor to Interstate 29 near Watertown, South Dakota.

In other highway related business, commissioners voted to pay $10,000 for site survey work at a highway junction near Montevideo.

The cost is necessary to put in warning lights at the intersection of U.S. Highway 212 and a county road. Engineering specialists will view the installation area to determine that the project is compatible with nearby land uses, natural resources and historical significance.

“I can’t see why we need to spend $10,000 just to dig a hole,” said Commissioner Gary Johnson. “It doesn’t seem like the engineers will be able to tell anything we don’t already know.”

Yellow Medicine County Highway Engineer Andy Sander said the required site studies go beyond what county highway departments are authorized to do on their own. The $10,000 expense was needed to hire specialists who have the added site study experience.

The board voted unanimously to approve the expense because it’s a state requirement. Yellow Medicine County Administrator Angie Steinbach, who previously served as acting city manager in Montevideo, said extra site evaluation is sometimes needed for smaller-sized excavations, depending on the location of the project.

“It’s something that can happen with this type of installation,” Steinbach said. “A river valley has natural and historic resources. The state wants to make sure the construction doesn’t interfere with anything.”

During the commissioner reports segment of the meeting, Johnson informed the rest of the board that the five-county Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission is seeing a favorable amount of activity related to economic and community development. A significant share of that is occurring through contracts with public, private or non-profit organizations.

Under contracts, the UMVRDC collects fees for its services, which often helps to defray costs needed for administration and daily operations.

“They’ve been busy with contracts,” Johnson said. “It brings money into the organization other than our tax levies. They go out and look for work.”

Examples of projects that have recently received UMVRDC assistance include the multi-phase Memorial Park improvements along the Minnesota River in Granite Falls, the armory and library in Dawson, the Maynard Area History Center, and the annual Meander arts and cultural self guided weekend tour held last week in the Minnesota River area.