The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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March 5, 2009

Highway 169 debated, discussed at meeting

Some for, some against expansion through heart of business district

By Brian Ojanpa

ST PETER — St. Peter residents got their first detailed look at Highway 169 upgrade plans Thursday, and the prevailing concern was damage control.

More specifically, how to minimize the negative impacts that go along with several months of construction in the heart of the business district.

“They cut off our traffic in the summer and we have no say in it?” said Connie Weber, who operates the Country Kitchen with her husband, Frank.

“We’re trying to reduce that as much as possible,” answered Kevin Anderson, the project’s consultant engineer.

That was pretty much the nature of questions and comments at a public open house on the project held in the St. Peter Community Center.

The project, set to begin this spring and conclude by Thanksgiving, calls for major reconstruction of the highway (Minnesota Avenue in St. Peter) that bisects the business district.

The work will include installation of raised medians, pedestrian bump-outs, landscaping and utility replacement.

The project has been eight years in the making. It’s intent is to slow traffic to reduce accidents along that 23,000-vehicles-daily corridor, and also to make street-crossing easier for pedestrians.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation originally scheduled the work to begin next year, but the availability of federal economic stimulus money fast-tracked the project.

Some residents and business owners are taking a bite-the-bullet approach, and others aren’t.

“I think it’s totally unnecessary because it’s not going to alleviate any (traffic/safety) problems,” said Stan Solberg, a former state trooper.

Marian Edman, who owns a house along Minnesota Avenue, is concerned about losing 2 feet of boulevard buffer between her house and traffic, and also losing her on-street parking.

Minnesota Avenue business owners also are concerned about having detours in place for all or part of the summer.

“That’s the big concern for people because it affects their visibility,” said MnDOT project manager Peter Harff.

He said working with the project’s contractor to minimize adverse impacts will be key, even though it figures to fall along pick-your-poison options:

“What would you rather have as a business, no traffic for a period of time, or very congested, frustrated traffic for a much longer duration?”

The proposed Highway 169 detours during the project are Washington Avenue for southbound traffic and Front Street for northbound traffic.

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