Plans to improve

Highway 14 within

city are released

Project goes

from 7th North

to Airport Road

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm city officials got a close look Tuesday at Minnesota Department of Transportation plans for reconstructing U.S. Highway 14 from 7th North Street to beyond Airport Road.

Larry Filter, preliminary design engineer at MnDOT's District 7 Mankato office, went over the schematic for the $6.6 million project with members of the City Council and city staff.

The public will get a chance to see the plans during a public hearing "open house" in the City Hall first floor conference room Thursday from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

"There won't be a program, as such, for the Thursday meeting," Filter explained. "People will be invited to just come in, look at the plans and ask questions or voice opinions."

The reconstruction of Highway 14 from 7th North to 17th North is basically just replacement of the pavement. No widening, sidewalk, curb and gutter are involved. No signals or left-turn lanes will be added, Filter said.

It's a different story from 17th North to beyond North Highland intersection, he told the council.

"There we're talking about left-turn lanes, sidewalks, curb and gutter, frontage roads and purchasing rights-of-way," Filter said. "That's going to be the toughest, and most expensive, part of the project.

Filter said he's hoping to have municipal approval for the city's participation in the project by April or May of next year.

"Then, it's a matter of purchasing the necessary easements and getting final design approval," Filter said.

It's his hope that construction can begin in early summer 2004; the project is expected to take about six months to complete.

Because the money for the project won't become available until July 1, 2004, Filter said, "I'm hoping that 'bridging' money will be available prior to that date so that we can get an earlier start so we can get it done in 2004. Otherwise, it may be 2005 before we're able to complete it."

MnDOT's plan calls for a frontage road running from the North Highland intersection past an industrial area to connect onto Birchwood Drive.

However, City Engineer Steve Koehler suggested that if it were to connect with Birchwood Drive that trucks be restricted to using only the North Highland intersection to get on Highway 14.

Several other frontage roads are planned for that stretch of highway, as well as one that would go from the gravel pit behind the industrial area and connect with the airport. In that scenario, Airport Road would be closed.

Filter didn't have an estimate of how much land MnDOT would need to buy.

"But one of our field people estimated that we would be dealing with 43 different landowners from 17th North and beyond. That's what is going to make acquisition a time-consuming process."