Hwy. 14/15 project to start in fall
NEW ULM — Project engineers, business owners, law enforcement and fire and ambulance personnel were among participants at a New Ulm Gateway 14/15 construction staging workshop at the New Ulm Community Center Monday.
The two-year, $33 million project to begin in the fall includes work on bridges over the Minnesota River and Front Street, a bridge interchange with two roundabouts at the “Y” intersection of Highways 14/15 and County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 21 and a roundabout at the Highway 14/Front Street intersection. It will raise Highways 14/15 above the 100-year flood elevation and replace city water main and sanitary sewer.
The purpose of the project is to address intersection safety, deficient bridges and poor pavement conditions.
Construction would take place over five or six-day work weeks including holidays from April through October on 7th North Street from Broadway to the Highway 14/15/CR 21 intersection.
An 8.3-mile 2018 detour on Highway 14 between the 14/15/21 interchange and 20th Street South would add 13 minutes to commute times to New Ulm in 2018.
In 2019, a 17-mile detour on Nicollet County Road 5 (Fort Road) and Nicollet County Road 12 from the Ford Road to Courtland would add 20 minutes to commute times to New Ulm.
Bolton & Menk Inc. Project Manager Chris Chromy said the project would not impact traffic until April 2018.
Steve Fluegge of SSL Auto Service Center, 626 N. Minnesota St., said the project will cause traffic backups when the Front Street roundabout is added.
“I’ve seen traffic back up on Broadway and German Street almost daily,” Fluegge said. “I don’t see where reducing four road lanes to two will alleviate the situation.”
Chromy said two-lane bridges over Front Street and the Minnesota River will help discourage speeding traffic. Both bridges are designed to be expanded to four lanes.
“Will we still see backups? Yes. We picked the safest option,” Chromy said.
“I think it’ll be a complete (traffic) jam up on Minnesota and German Streets,” Fluegge said. “What other examples are there of highway projects with fewer lanes?”
Chromy said the concept has happened in other places.
The project will include the closure of the Highway 14/15/21 intersection from spring 2018 through fall 2019.
District 88 Superintendent Jeff Bertrang said the 2018 and 2019 detours that enter New Ulm from 20th Street South will encounter backed up traffic on 20th Street South each morning when trains are backing.
“I’ve sat there for 20 minutes at about 7:30 a.m. waiting for trains to clear the intersection,” Bertrang said.
Bolton & Menk engineers said they would contact the (Burlington Northern) railroad about changing train backing times.
Nicollet County Sheriff Dave Lange said motorists don’t always follow detours.
“In the world we live in today with GPS, I can’t tell you how many times people got lost driving the Highway 14 project around Nicollet,” Lange said.
Allina Ambulance personnel said they don’t know ahead of time if trains are blocking road access until they are at the traffic jam.
A person suggested installing video cameras where roads access is often blocked.
Another construction staging workshop will be held in March or April, a public open house will be held this summer and construction would start this fall, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Bolton & Menk.
The 12.5 mile four-lane highway project planned from New Ulm to Courtland and Nicollet remains unscheduled and unfunded.
For more information, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/14newulmtomankato/.
Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.
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