Mankato,
Minn. - The Mankato (District 7) office of the Minnesota
Department of Transportation will begin work on the Environmental
Impact Statement for U.S. Highway 14 from New Ulm to North
Mankato.
Last
summer Mn/DOT completed a Corridor Management Plan and Scoping
Document that identified the Highway 14 alignment alternatives
to be studied in the EIS (see map above). The EIS consists
of an in-depth study of traffic volumes, safety, route system
and design continuity, community development and land use
issues, property acquisition, costs, public comments and
impacts to cultural resources, farmlands, wetlands, and
other natural resources.
The
study will take place over the next two years and will result
in the selection of a final alignment and identification
of the environmental impacts. No portion of the highway
covered by the EIS has been identified for funding.
"Funding
for construction of major projects is a dynamic process
today. A completed Environmental Impact Statement will allow
the communities and land owners along the corridor to plan
for future development and Mn/DOT to prepare for future
construction should money become available at either the
state or federal level," said Jim Swanson, Transportation
District Engineer.
Mn/DOT
received special federal funding from the Transportation
Appropriations bill last year to do the study. Mn/DOT recently
awarded a contract to the Twin Cities consulting firm, CH2MHILL
to complete the study. The lead consultant is Howard Preston,
who worked with Mn/DOT
on the Corridor Plan and scoping study.
The
project termini are from the intersection of State Highway
15 at New Ulm to Nicollet County Road 6 just west of North
Mankato. The scoping study determined that New Ulm is a
major destination for Highway 14 traffic and a bypass of
New Ulm is not needed.
Mn/DOT
is also near the completion of an Environmental Assessment
for extending the four-lane section of Highway 14 from Lookout
Drive in North Mankato to Nicollet County Road 6. A public
hearing for the Environmental Assessment is scheduled for
Thursday, July 8 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the North Mankato
Fire Station No. 2 on Howard Drive.
Mn/DOT's
Project Manager is Peter Harff, who can be reached at 507-389-6877
or by e-mail at peter.harff@dot.state.mn.us
. Interested individuals can find more information on the
Highway 14 corridor at www.dot.state.mn.us/d7/projects/14newulmtonmankato
.
