Kandiyohi County was successful in obtaining $4.8 million in federal funding to help fund the completion of the County State Aid Highway 55 Highway-Rail Grade Separation project south of Willmar. The Kandiyohi County Road 55 highway-rail grade separation project would see an overpass bridge constructed over the rail tracks, eliminating a potentially dangerous conflict point […]
WILLMAR — The City of Willmar is one step closer to a $1.16 million deal for a company to purchase 145 acres in the Willmar Industrial Park to develop a rail transportation hub connected to the Willmar Wye railroad bypass on the west side of the city. The Willmar Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a
Willmar Planning Commission approves $1.16M purchase agreement to develop rail park Read More »
WILLMAR — As work on the North Gap of the Highway 23 Gaps expansion project has wound down for the winter, members of the Highway 23 Coalition continue to work on their overarching mission. “We’ve been working for quite some time on creating a four-lane, safe Highway 23 corridor from border to border,” said coalition chair
Kandiyohi County Board supports a new Highway 23 project near Willmar Read More »
The Highway 23 Coalition has a vision of a four-lane corridor from the far southwest corner of the state near Luverne all the way up to Hinckley, just before drivers reach the popular North Shore. It is a vision that will require a lot of time, effort and money to make a reality, but it
A vision of four lanes from one corner of the state to the other Read More »
WILLMAR—In 2017, the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners approved a five-year local option sales tax to fund four road improvement projects covering 10 miles of road and one bridge at a cost of $14 million. Revenue collection began in 2018 and is set to expire in 2022. Mel Odens, Kandiyohi County Public Works director, is hoping the County Board
Extension of Kandiyohi County local option sales tax for roads is on the table Read More »
WILLMAR—Two years after the first shovels full of dirt were moved in July 2019, the road construction portion of the Willmar Rail Connector and Industrial Access Project has been completed, minus a few little things that still need to be wrapped up. “For a project of this size and complexity, it went really well,” said Paul Rasmussen,
Willmar Wye road construction is done, next step is rail Read More »
WILLMAR—The early arrival of winter, or at least a sneak peek of it, has caused a delay in the completion of the realignment of U.S. Highway 12 on the western edge of Willmar, a part of the Willmar Wye railroad bypass project. According to the weekly wye update released Monday by the Minnesota Department of
Snow slows downs U.S. Highway 12 completion in Willmar Read More »
WILLMAR—Progress continues to be made to construct the four-lane “gaps” on Minnesota Highway 23 between New London and Richmond ahead of the original schedule. Plans are on track to construct the south and north gaps in a three-year span, from 2022 through 2024, Jon Huseby, District 8 engineer, Minnesota Department of Transportation, told members of
Highway 23 gap projects moving forward Read More »
WILLMAR—Some familiar issues are emerging as the District 8 office of the Minnesota Department of Transportation looks at how to improve intermodal freight movement in the southwest counties of the state. Safety is chief among them: The district has a high rate of severe accidents at its high-traffic intersections, Lindsey Bruer, planning director for District
‘Gaps,’ intersection safety among issues emerging in freight study Read More »
WILLMAR—As warmer weather returns, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Hoffmann Group, contractor for the project, are getting ready to restart work on the Willmar Wye railroad bypass project on the west side of Willmar. According to a project update from MnDOT, crews will begin construction next week on the new U.S. Highway 12
Willmar Wye construction to restart next week Read More »
Clara City promotes itself as the “Crossroads on the Prairie,” but there is a downside to the meeting of state Highways 23 and 7 at the south end of the community. Traffic accidents at the intersection of the two highways have long been a concern for emergency responders and law enforcement. At the urging of
MnDOT looking to improve Highway 23/7 crossing in Clara City Read More »
SPICER—It may seem logical that a business that sells electricity should have a vehicle that runs on electricity. That’s one reason why the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative began leasing a 2019 Tesla Model 3 this fall. The co-op didn’t want to just “talk the talk but walk the walk,” said Dan Tepfer, energy management specialist with
Electric power co-op puts electric vehicle to use as a consumer teaching tool Read More »
