The highway department plans to build a $2.2 million, single-lane roundabout at the CR 5 (Fort Road) and State Highway 15 intersection in Klossner.

A $2.8 million, single-lane roundabout at the CR 5 and State Highway 111 intersection several miles north of Nicollet is also planned next summer.

MnDOT Project Manager Zak Tess said bid letting is set for March. He said the projects would take about eight to ten weeks to complete and would not take place at the same time.

Project details include installing intersection lighting, snow fence installation at the Fort Road/Hwy. 111 roundabout and drainage updates.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch LIghted signs alert westbound Nicollet CR 5 traffic at the MN 15 intersection in Klossner Tuesday.

The Klossner roundabout detour will follow Nicollet CR 21 east of New Ulm to CR 12 north to CR 15 and west to TH 15.

The Nicollet roundabout detour will follow TH 99 east to CR 13, north of CR 15 and west to TH 111.

Roundabout funding was awarded from the High Risk Rural Roads program, a federal-aid initiative to improve safety at rural highway intersections. It targets roads with crash rates higher than the state average or those with the potential to exceed the average.

According to MnDOT, roundabouts show an 86% decrease in fatal crashes, an 83% decrease in life-altering injury crashes, and a 42% decrease in the injury crash rate at intersections.

A snow fence near Lafayette is planned to be built this year. Other Brown County projects include improving CR 8 and CR 10 sight lines at U.S. Highway 14.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Lighted signs alert eastbound Nicollet CR 5 traffic at the MN 15 intersection in Klossner Tuesday.

Other 2025 construction projects include reconstructing and raising roadway between Henderson and U.S. Highway 169 in 2025-26 and reconstructing Highway 60 in Lake Crystal.

Future area project candidates include $1.1 million to install a U.S. Highway 71 snow fence at Sanborn in 2028 and $8.8 million to resurface MN 19 from Winthrop to Gaylord and ADA (American Disabilities Act) improvements in Gaylord in 2029.

Projects planned for 2030-2035 include MN 4 in Sleepy Eye and MN 68 from MN 15 south of New Ulm to US 169 just east of Mankato, MN 19 in Gibbon in and near Winthrop, east of MN 15, and MN 19 from MN 5 just east of Gaylord to Henderson.

For more information, visit https://dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/ford-rd-roundabouts/index.html.