Mankato,
Minn. - Funding major expansion projects such as the much
talked about four-lane on Highway 60 from Iowa to Worthington
is not feasible with current funding levels and the need
to preserve the existing highway system in southern Minnesota,
according to officials at the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The
Mn/DOT District 7 office announced it's construction plans
for the next ten years and the only Highway 60 expansion
project that it included was $5 million to bring the four-lane
from Iowa past Bigelow and possible improvements for access/safety
problems in Worthington. Preliminary estimates of a four-lane
from Iowa to Worthington range from $44 to $56 million in
today's dollars.
"We
took a really hard look at what we once thought we could
deliver," said District Engineer Jon Huseby. "And
keeping our current system in the same condition that it
is today would eat up the majority of our construction dollars."
District
7's investment goals for it's current $38 million annual
construction budget consist of 43 percent for preserving
the system, 26 percent for expansion projects, 11 percent
to replace or repair bridges and 20 percent to manage the
system (signing, striping, land acquisition, supplemental
agreements and cooperative agreements with local governments.)
Forty-three
percent of $38 million ($16 million) to preserve District
7's 1,345 miles of highway still falls short of the $26
million that data analysis indicates should be invested.
And that number does not include bridges. During recent
bridge inspections, District 7 found out that the U.S. Highway
169 bridge over the Minnesota River near LeSueur will need
to be replaced in 2006-2007-several years before the district
had anticipated. Estimate to replace the bridge is $13 million.
The
only other expansion project that Mn/DOT District 7 is tackling
in the next 10 years is U.S. Highway 14 from Mankato to
Waseca. The Environmental Impact Statement was completed
for this corridor few years ago. Safety is a significant
concern for Highway 14 motorists and public interest is
extremely high.
"We
are well aware of and share the desire to match the four-lane
system that Iowa is currently working on," explained
Huseby. "We plan to complete the EIS so that we are
in a position to move forward if additional transportation
dollars are made available."
A completed
EIS will also provide the location of an improved Highway
60 and that will allow area officials and residents to plan
for the future. The EIS is scheduled to be complete by the
end of 2003.
Mn/DOT
District 7 has invested over $65 million in Highway 60 since
the EIS from Worthington to St. James was completed in 1983.
The last piece of the four-lane expansion from Worthington
to Windom is currently under construction from Heron Lake
to Wilder and will be completed in early summer 2003. The
2000 Legislature provided $5 million toward the paving of
the final section of Highway 60 as a part of their investment
into "Moving Minnesota."
"We
are grateful for the one-time investment of $459 million
into Minnesota's transportation system, but there still
remains a need for long-term, statewide funding for transportation,"
acknowledged Huseby.
