NU Council approves roundabout proposal
Construction at Hwy. 14 and N. Highland begins in May
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NEW ULM - The intersection of Highway 14 and North Highland Avenue will be a different kind of busy this spring, as it is transformed into a roundabout.
The project has been in the works since 2020 when an evaluation of the intersection supported the idea of replacing it with a roundabout. This idea was further backed up by local citizens, businesses, and the school district. MnDOT has been working with the city since January on a plan for the project, which was presented to the City Council by MnDOT Project Manager Mat Thibert.
The construction will begin in May, and Thibert said they hope to wrap up construction by the fourth of July. During this time the intersection will be closed, but access to businesses will still be possible.
"There will be disruption to traffic," Thibert said. "Access to local businesses through the frontage network will still be maintained. People will still be able to get to all businesses in the area."
Businesses in the area of construction include Aldi's, O'Reilly's, and Quality Appliance and Television.
Councilman Les Schultz asked for further detail on the type of closure Highway 14 will have and the detour route. Thibert said business access will remain open on Highway 14, but it will be closed to thru traffic. Hard closures will be at the construction zone and the intersection of Highway 14 and Garden Street due to there being no driveways or inlets affected in the area.
The detour will run on County Roads 12 and 29. City Engineer Joe Stadheim said the route will be the same as during the construction of the Menards roundabout.
Given the speed limit of 50 mph on this section of Highway 14, Schultz asked if there will be any speed limitations near the construction site. Thibert said there will not be, as no requests for a speed study were raised by local agencies.
Council chair Andrea Boettger asked if the crew could start construction before May. Thibert said the current time frame was chosen based on prior work required and the lifting of load restrictions.
"We will have some tree clearing occur in March," he said. "You will see some activity then. The main reason is we want to wait till spring truckload restrictions come up to put people onto the detour. That’s part of the reason behind our time frame is to get those truckload restrictions off so we can get [more] people on the county road network."
As for further financial impact on citizens, Stadheim said the project will be covered with previously allocated federal and state funds. Therefore, it will not have any further financial impact on the people through taxes or bond issuance. Schultz expressed gratitude for the project, as this intersection has been a problem area in the past.
"I know it’s a dangerous intersection," he said. "I've heard it from so many people. I’m looking forward to this."
Councilman Dave Christian made the motion to approve the proposal and Councilman Eric Warmka seconded. The proposal was approved unanimously. The next City Council meeting will be Dec. 19.