Minnesota Department of Transportation Highway 14 4-lane expansion project staff anticipate opening the CSAH 37 interchange to local traffic on Thursday,

NEW ULM — Hundreds of gravel trucks and semi trailers were busy hauling rock on a new segment of Highway 14 from the New Ulm Quartzite Quarries back toward New Ulm Thursday.

The traffic is in addition to lots of work being done on the New Ulm to Nicollet Highway 14 four-lane expansion project, reported to be on schedule to open prior to Oct. 15, 2023 and on budget.

“One of our project challenges has been to keep access open for 500 to 600 gravel trucks to and from the New Ulm Quartzite Quarries. It’s an important access point,” said Minnesota Department of Transportation District 7 Construction Supervisor Todd Kjolstad.

He added that the two-year, four-lane expansion project is on schedule to open to through traffic before Oct. 15, 2023.

“Things have been going pretty good. We’ve had some minor change orders, but no large, unanticipated costs,” said Kjolstad. “We’re doing lots of bituminous and concrete paving. We should be fine if the weather stays in our favor the next two to three weeks.”

“There is a lot of work progressing, but we have every intention to open Highway 14 and the interchanges at New Ulm (CR 37) and Courtland (bypass with CR 24 extension and CR 12 realignment) on time,” he added.

The project includes installing snow fence between Courtland and Nicollet to prevent excessive snow blowing and drifting.

“After the highway opens, there will still be a lot of work progressing until it gets too cold to work this fall,” Kjolstad said. “We’ll continue to work on road connections and stability, back-slope shaping and turf establishment.”

At the Sept. 5 public meeting at the Courtland Community Center, it was announced that project staff intends to close the Highway 14 and CSAH 21 intersection, just east of the Highway 14 & 15 Y intersection on Wednesday, Sept. 13. Grading and paving work for westbound and eastbound lanes will be done.

Courtland residents and others with business in Courtland will use CSAH 25 or CSAH 12 to CSAH 24 as of Sept. 13.

It is anticipated that the CSAH 37 interchange will open to local traffic on Thursday, Sept. 14. There will be no access to or from township roads 446th and 449th Streets (gravel roads north of the CSAH 37 interchange).

It is anticipated that access to Minnesota Valley Lutheran (MVL) High School will be open by late September along Highway 14.

The public and local traffic are encouraged to travel with caution within highway project limits and not to travel in project limits unless absolutely necessary such as to their residence, that of an acquaintance or local business.

Construction projects are inherently dangerous and changing conditions are typical.

Highway 14 New Ulm to Nicollet public meetings are held every other Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Courtland Community Center. The next meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2023.

For more information, visit www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/14newulmtomankato/index.html