Residents get first look at Highway 14 project

Plan replaces roadway from 7th to 17th North

By RACHEL WEDDIG

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Area residents got their first look at the $6.6 million U.S. Highway 14 improvement plans during a public hearing "open house" at City Hall Thursday.

District 7 MnDOT representatives, out of Mankato, were busy answering questions and explaining the plans to the crowds streaming in and out of the first floor conference room during the two-hour hearing.

"Things are going well from what I've seen so far," said MnDOT representative, Giles Abbe. "City and outer area residents are just showing their concerns. This is their first time seeing the plans."

The reconstruction of Highway 14 from 7th North to 17th North is basically just replacing the roadway, said Abbe.

However, a lot of reconstruction work will be done from 17th North to beyond the North Highland intersection, such as adding left-turn lanes, frontage roads, sidewalks, curbs and gutters and purchasing rights-of-way.

Abbe said this hearing was a chance to learn public concerns.

"We need to know from you what you need and what you want," Abbe told the crowd gathered around the plans. "That's why these comments cards are so important for you to fill out."

MnDOT officials were pleased with the response from the public.

"Most think this will be a nice improvement, but of course you have the individual concerns from people who are affected with the streets and sideways," said District 7 MnDot Design Engineer, Larry Filter. "We'll look at the comment cards to see if we should look at things differently."

Area business representatives attended the hearing to voice their concerns on how the plans could affect their business.

"It'll be like having neighbors come through the back door -- all my customers will have to come in through the back entrance," said Bill Steinke, of Design Home Center. "Our whole setup is based on bringing bringing people in from the north side -- this will basically reverse everything. People will have to come in from the storage entrance in the back."

Many residents were especially concerned with the traffic that will be caused by a frontage road running from the North Highland intersection past an industrial area to connect onto Birchwood Drive.

"With this plan, gravel trucks would be coming by my house all the time," said Dale Gluth, who lives next to the Design Home Center. "If they guaranteed that gravel trucks wouldn't come through, this plan would be fine."

Increase in traffic was another concern expressed by residents as a result of the frontage road.

The next step for MnDOT is to prepare a final layout for the City Council's approval. Filter hopes the project will begin in the summer of 2004.

"We'll come to the City Council in the spring, asking them to approve the plans," Filter said. "Trying to purchase rights-of-way is usually a two-year process. This is a big project -- that's why it's questionable if we'll be able to be finished in one year."