Work on

Highway 14

from 20th North

to Garden

starts today

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Work begins today on reconstructing U.S. Highway 14 from 20th North Street west to the North Garden Street intersection, adjacent to the Cash Wise and Kmart parking lots.

As outlined in the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce weekly reconstruction update issued Friday, Minnesota Department of Transportation's District 7 project engineer, Bob Williams, reported installation of a concrete median barrier for channeling one lane of traffic in each direction along the north side of the highway would be the first step.

"After traffic is shifted to the north side of the existing highway, Mathiowetz (Construction Company) will be able to begin the reconstruction of the south side of this portion of both the highway and the Garden Street intersection, and the Garden Street leg of the intersection," Williams said.

The roads in this area are all expected to remain open during construction, Williams added.

While that segment wasn't a part of this year's construction plan, Mathiowetz exercised an option in its contract to go ahead with reconstruction of the highway from 20th North to Garden Street this year.

"I wanted to have all the construction next year on the west side of Garden Street," Mathiowetz' on-site project supervisor, Keith Olson, said.

During this past week, work on the Seventh North Street intersection was "substantially" completed, and the Eighth North Street intersection was opened to cross traffic.

However, Williams noted lane closures at the Seventh North intersection would be necessary in the near future so that street lights and overhead signs can be installed, and minor construction work can be done.

The roadway between 17th North Street and 13th North Street was expected to up to gravel base by the Fourth of July weekend, Williams said, and underground utility and sewer work is underway between 12th North and Ninth North streets.

Williams said excavation work continues on the retention ponds, particularly on pond 2 in the southeast quadrant of the North Garden intersection. Water and sewer main work continues in the Westridge frontage road area near North Highland Avenue, Williams said.

"Construction remains substantially on schedule (for the project as a whole), and no major changes in conditions have been encountered to date," Williams concluded.

(Additional information can be obtained by going to MnDOT's website:

www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/newulm1.)