Hwy 60 four-lane expansion

 

Location

• From Bigelow bypass at the Iowa state line to
  I-90 at Worthington

 

Schedule

• 2010 to 2013
• Phase 1 2010-2012
• Phase 2 2011-2012
• Phase 3 2012-2013
  
  

Cost

• $74 million

About this project

Highway 60 is a diagonal primary route connecting Iowa and Mankato, and, by way of Highway 169, the Twin Cities. Worthington is a regional trade center for southwestern Minnesota, and Highway 60 carries a high volume of trucks. This project will construct a four-lane divided expressway from the end of the Bigelow bypass to I-90 in Worthington. It will stay on the existing route with some minor changes in the Lake Street and Oxford areas in Worthington. Following the four-lane reconstruction of Highway 60 in Iowa, this will be the last remaining two-lane section between Sioux City, Iowa and Windom. The change from four lanes to two lanes and back again a short distance later is not consistent with the good design practice of providing a predictable system for motorists. To maintain system continuity, a bypass was constructed to the east of Bigelow, and the existing route will be expanded to four lanes in Worthington.

• Project summary (PDF) - updated October 2012

 

Schedule

The project is being constructed in phases as follows:

• Phase 1 County Rd 10 south to Bigelow
  Construction from 2010-2012; traffic impacts include detour to Co. Rds 4 and 5.
• Phase 2 County Rd 10 to County Rd 35
  Construction from 2011-2012; traffic impacts include detour to Co. Rds 4 and 5.
• Union Pacific Railroad Bridge replacement
  Construction from 2011-2012.
  
• Phase 3 County Rd 35 - I-90
  Construction from 2012-2013; traffic impacts include local detours.

 

Safety

On the rural segments the average crash rate of 0.6 crashes per million vehicle miles is lower than the state average for this type of roadway (0.9). In Worthington, the crash rate is also lower than the state average, except between Oxford Street and I-90 where the crash rate is 3.5 and the state average is 2.1.

 

Traffic volume

A range of 3,600 (rural 2004) to 8,400 (urban 2002) vehicles per day, with up to 20 percent trucks. Traffic volumes projected for 2030 range from 5,700 to 13,000.

 

Environmental impact

The final environmental impact statement was prepared to address the concerns expressed in public and agency comments and to document the preferred alternative.

 

Design concepts

• View preliminary design concepts for the different project phases

 

Contractors

Note: the final phase (County Road 35 to I-90) of the Highway 60 expansion is expected to be let for bidding next summer (2012).

• Lunda Construction is the prime contractor for the replacement of the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge construction over Highway 60
• R & G Construction Company (Marshall, MN) is the prime contractor for the segment from Paul Avenue to Nobles County Road 35
• Mathiowetz Construction (Sleepy Eye, MN) is the prime contractor on the rural segment from Nobles County Road 4 to Paul Avenue