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Wider shoulders planned on Highway 68

Lyon Co. approves MnDOT petition for construction and culvert replacements

Photo by Deb Gau Minnesota Highway 68 between Minneota and Marshall will be one part of a state construction project planned for next year. In addition to replacing culverts and widening the shoulders of the highway, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be doing culvert replacements near Porter and Taunton.

MARSHALL — Members of the Lyon County Board heard more details Tuesday about a construction project planned on Minnesota Highway 68. Representatives of the Minnesota Department of Transportation said preparations for the project like tree clearing are planned to start in December. Culvert replacements near Porter are planned to start in spring, followed by construction to widen the highway shoulders between Minneota and Marshall.

Detours will be in place during different stages of construction, said MnDOT presenter Isaac Kinuthia.

Because the Highway 68 project will include some culvert replacements and minor changes to public ditches, Lyon County commissioners held a hearing at their Tuesday meeting. After the hearing, commissioners approved a petition from MnDOT to make changes to County Ditches 63, 32, 37 and Lateral A of County Ditch 37.

Kinuthia and Allen Schmitz of MnDOT spoke with commissioners over Zoom. Kinuthia said the Highway 68 construction project will affect about 11 miles of road between Minneota and Marshall, and replace some culverts between Porter and Taunton.

The construction will be broken up into stages to avoid cutting off access to the city of Porter, Kinuthia said. “Every phase will be open before the next phase goes in,” he said.

The first stage will begin in Yellow Medicine County, with the replacement of two box culverts near Porter. The next stage would be replacement of a box culvert between Porter and Taunton.

After that, construction would begin between Minneota and Marshall. Detours would be put in place while the highway shoulders are made wider and culverts are replaced. During construction, access to the city of Ghent would be kept open on Lyon County Road 5, MnDOT said.

Kinuthia said the state is in the process of contacting individual land owners for temporary or permanent easements for the construction. The project is proposing to replace some drainage tile and culverts near the Highway 68 construction, and do some grading work affecting county ditches. However, the changes shouldn’t impair the ditches or change the drainage, MnDOT representatives said.

There were no objections or public comments brought forward at the hearing. County commissioners voted to grant MnDOT’s ditch petition for the construction project.

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