About this project
Update
Approximately 80 people turned out on Nov. 1 for the ceremonial groundbreaking for the project.
Governor Tim Walz, MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher, state legislators, Shafer Contracting and union members were among the many who helped celebrate the kickoff of the project.
Funding for the 12.5-mile expansion was approved on May 30, 2018, when then-Governor Mark Dayton signed into law the state bonding bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature.
The funding takes the next Corridors of Commerce projects in line to be funded, according to guidance in state law and bonding bill. The selected projects will enhance the movement of freight and people in the regions where these projects are located, which will aid the economy and reduce congestion.
Governor Walz released the funding for this project in 2019 after some technical corrections were achieved through a bipartisan agreement. It was the second bill Governor Walz signed into law.
This project will expand Highway 14 from two lanes to four lanes between Owatonna and Dodge Center, completing a continuous four-lane highway between Mankato and Rochester. The project is intended to improve the capacity, safety, travel times and access along the Owatonna to Rochester corridor.
Full construction is expected to begin in spring 2020 with traffic planned on the new route later in 2021. Full completion of the project is expected in 2022.