Celebrating Hwy. 19 completion
Ribbon cutting held for 2-year construction project
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MARSHALL -- It all focused on just 2 miles of road within the city of Marshall. But the reconstruction of a stretch of Minnesota Highway 19 was a huge undertaking, said Minnesota Department of Transportation officials.
"We began creating the vision for the project back in 2019," Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said.
Construction took place over two summers, starting in 2025 and finishing earlier this week.
"The years of work, through successful collaboration with the project partners and input from so many community members, has culminated in this Highway 19 corridor that will safely and efficiently serve those who live and travel through Marshall for decades to come," she said.
Daubenberger was one of the state and local officials who spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Highway 19 project on Friday morning. The ceremony marked the completion of the project, which replaced city utility lines, built a new concrete roadway, and added safety features like a roundabout near the National Guard Armory.
"We're here to celebrate the completion of really a wonderful project," said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes. "A lot of planning went into it, a lot of funding went into it from different sources."
The reconstruction project had a total cost of $25.7 million. Of that total cost, $15.4 million was covered by Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funds.
Kelly Brunkhorst, the MnDOT District 8 Engineer, said the project installed about 8.7 miles of water, sewage, and drainage piping within the two-mile project area. It also used about 15,000 cubic yards of concrete, which would be the same area as 50 hockey rinks, or enough concrete to fill the Marshall city water tower six times over, she said.
Daubenberger, Minnesota state Rep. Chris Swedzinski and Sen. Gary Dahms were among the officials who spoke at the ceremony. Messages from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith were also read.
"This project is a great example of what we can accomplish when all levels of government are united in a shared vision," Klobuchar said in a letter.
Swedzinski said there were many people that made the Highway 19 project possible. He also said the road improvements also helped fit Marshall's role as a regional center. Swedzinski pointed out the Marshall 'M' sign on the new roundabout, which welcomes drivers as they enter the city from the west.
"That's a beautiful welcome, really, to the city of Marshall, and their really visionary aspect of not only being a regional center, but a place to do business, a place to make homes, and also a place to grow families," he said.
"Congratulations to the city of Marshall, and to all the people that made this project happen," Dahms said. "There's an awful lot of people involved in getting a big project like this done," he said. He extended thanks to lead contractor R and G Construction and the Mathiowetz family for their work on the project.
"A project like this does not happen without a lot of communication," said Gregg Mathiowetz of R and G Construction. "We don't take that lightly. So, when you drive down a project like this, you can take a lot of pride. It was definitely a group effort."
"This large project doesn’t come out without disruption to businesses, residents, the traveling public," Brunkhorst said. "We thank them for their patience and support throughout this two-year project."