NORTH MANKATO - More details have been finalized on the Highway 14 improvement project that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced in December.
Sen. Terry Morrow, R- St. Peter, said that he has spoken with all parties involved and he expects that the construction of an interchange at the intersection of Highway 14 and County Road 41 will begin as soon as July. In addition to the interchange, the highway will be expanded to four lanes from the current end of the four-lane to at least County Road 6.
Morrow said that MnDOT has added a new component to the project: the elimination of the Highway 14 and County Road 6 intersection to the project. He explained that MnDOT had taken up the project over safety concerns and that it was looking for ways to eliminate accident prone section of the highway.
The new plan will change Highway 14's route, directing the four-lane construction slightly north of the existing highway. The four-lane will reconnect with the two-lane just past County Road 6. The existing portion of Highway 14 that will be routed around will be turned into a frontage road. County Road 6 will dead-end at Highway 14 from the north, and it will accessed to the south on the frontage road.
The re-routing is also preparation work for later construction on Highway 14. When more of the highway is expanded into a four-lane, the path will be corrected to have a straighter line to Courtland. The new direction of Highway 14 will pass the southern edge to Nicollet, as opposed to through the town.
North Mankato Mayor Mark Dehen said the MnDOT is planning a straighter highway because officials believe the curved angle of the current highway may cause more accidents.
(Josh Moniz can be e-mailed at jmoniz@nujouranl.com)