Highway 14 Partnership members:
First, thanks to all who attended today’s presentation on the Owatonna-Dodge Center Safety Audit. We had a good turnout with both business and local government attendees, which is important to demonstrating to MnDOT that completing this highway is a broad, regional priority.
MnDOT does not yet have the Safety Audit Report finalized, nor were any handouts distributed today. The Department will be posting the Report and today’s PowerPoint online in the relatively near future, at which point they will notify me and I will send you the link to the materials. I will provide a brief summary of the topics covered until that point:
To compile the Safety Audit, a team of independent reviewers used 2007-11 crash data, meetings with MnDOT District 6 staff and Highway 14 stakeholders, and field observance of the corridor. The project was broken into segments and each intersection was reviewed. Traffic was observed both in the morning and evening hours.
Traffic patterns include a high degree of commercial and agricultural vehicles, commuter use, the use of the highway as a connector between Rochester and Mankato, and a 7500 ADT.
Since there is no identified completion date for the four lane expansion of this project, the purpose of this safety audit was to look for short and medium term safety solutions. A mill and overlay project of the segment is scheduled for 2015, so it is possible that some of the Safety Audit recommendations could be implemented at that time.
Safety issues identified in meetings included: speed, commercial traffic (15% of volume, which is high compared to other rural two-lane highways), limited passing opportunities, snow removal, railroad crossing near 54th Ave SE, and lack of notice of four to two lane transition.
Traffic data shows that this segment of Highway 14 has a crash rate and severity rate less than the statewide average (using 2007-11 data) in comparison to both expressways and two lane rural highways with 5-8000 ADT. The segment has a similar severe crash rating to the statewide average. There were three severe and two fatal crashes from 2007-11.
The most common type of crash is head-on. Most crashes are related to driver negligence or speed. 2/3rds of segment crashes were in the winter. Most crashes occur in the evening. Seatbelt use is high on the corridor. There is a low crash rate at intersections, since most are at right angles.
The Safety Audit Team issued the following recommendations to MnDOT District 6:
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Centerline rumble striping
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Centerline buffer zone (widen distance between the two lanes, add two stripes, possibly add delineators to make a no-passing zone)
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Add passing lanes
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Improve winter maintenance (increase plowing, add vegetative snow fence to prevent drifting)
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Conduct a speed study (to consider increasing segment speed limit to 60 mph)
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Update the railroad crossing
The following intersection improvements were issued:
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Add turn lanes or bypass lanes at four leg intersections
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Increase sign size and/or add “stop ahead” signs to side roads
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Add stop bars or “stop ahead” pavement markings to side roads
Specific recommendations for portions of the project:
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Additional signing on east and west end noting drop from four lane to two lane
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Change the lane drop from the left to right lane (to reflect standard practice)
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Additional lighting at 54th Ave SE and railroad tracks
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Bump sign at 54th Ave SE
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Coordinate rail crossing improvements with MnDOT Rail Office
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Right turn lane at CSAH 1
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Centerline rumble strips/stripes at US 14/CSAH 1
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Left turn lane at CSAH 3
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Left turn lane at southbound CSAH 5
Following the presentation, there was some discussion with the Audit Team. Some attendees expressed concern with potentially increasing the speed limit. MnDOT noted that the safest option tends to be setting the speed limit at the level most drivers feel comfortable driving. They said the Audit is not recommending a speed limit increase, just that the District consider a speed limit study of the segment.
Other attendees noted that it tends to be the heavy commercial traffic that slows down speeds, so perhaps increasing the speed limit would be a good idea because many commercial vehicles are required to drive at posted speeds.
Some members questioned whether it was worthwhile from a cost-benefit standpoint to implement short or medium term solutions rather than fund the four lane expansion. The Audit team reiterated that there charge was simply to identify potential short and medium term safety solutions, but it would be up to District 6 to determine the best path forward.
Members asked when District 6 would be making decisions on implementing the recommendations. Greg Paulson, District 6 Assistant Engineer said improving the striping is something that could be done yet this year. More significant investments, like passing lanes or buffer zones would have to be analyzed for their cost/benefit. He noted that there are several items out there now with the project that could impact options. The District submitted a TIGER grant application for federal funding to begin the expansion for the first 2.5 miles east of Owatonna, and grant awards are expected to be named this fall.
Paulson also noted that the $300m in Corridors of Commerce program funding criteria are currently being put together and information on the process to acquire these funds will likely be released this fall or winter. The District would need about $100m for the Owatonna-Dodge Center project. There’s a lot of competition statewide for the $300m, so he assumes Highway 14 can maybe get some, but probably not all, of those funds.
Paulson said that with the TIGER grant and Corridors of Commerce out there, those could impact the Safety Audit options and there will likely not be one set decision time on what options will be implemented. The District will review the Safety Audit report and prioritize the recommendations and consider what they can/should do now and what they might do in conjunction with the 2015 mill/overlay. Decisions on the bigger items won’t be made until fall or winter. Updates will be posted to the Owatonna-Dodge Center project website.
Overall, I think there was a thoughtful discussion of the safety concerns. It’s also clear that District 6 is hopeful that they can receive TIGER grant or Corridors of Commerce funding to begin the four lane expansion. I was pleased to see they won’t be making any hasty decisions and they want to see how these funding options unfold. I’m very excited to see how the next few months unfold for Highway 14! I will keep everyone updated with the Safety Audit documents and any announcements about funding.
Thank you,
Amanda Duerr, Lobbyist
Flaherty & Hood, P.A.
525 Park Street, Suite 470
St. Paul, MN 55103
Direct Dial: 651-259-1928
Cell: 651-208-2815
acduerr@flaherty-hood.com
