Mark Fischenich: Ask Us: No plans for more Hwy 14 upgrades in Eagle Lake

Jan. 29—Q: My question is regarding the future of all the intersections in the Eagle Lake area. With the continued population growth in the Eagle Lake area and the rapid growth of Mankato's east side towards Eagle Lake, what is MnDOT's long-range plan for those intersections? I believe MnDOT has a five-year construction plan and a 10-year construction plan for all the districts in the state. Is MnDOT District 7 planning for some kind of overpass or diamond intersection in the future, and will they be appropriating the funds for a safer solution?

A: The reader noted that his question was a follow-up to a previous "Ask Us" column that delved into the Minnesota Department of Transportation's work on Highway 14's intersections in Eagle Lake, particularly the one with Blue Earth County Road 56 near the Casey's convenience store.

In that Nov. 13 column, MnDOT traffic engineer Scott Thompson laid out the research, the outreach and the reasoning behind the decision to add a J-turn intersection at the Casey's corner and also why an acceleration lane wasn't warranted.

The person submitting this week's question, who did not appear to be persuaded, is wondering if a more extensive improvement might be on the way.

Thompson once again was tasked with providing MnDOT's response and explanation.

Before the answers, here's a brief history ... .

In 2016, MnDOT — after studying the Eagle Lake intersections and seeking public input — settled on three different approaches for the $2.3 million in improvements.

The central intersection in Eagle Lake was changed to prohibit certain left turns.

The eastern intersection with Blue Earth County Road 17 received a J-turn. (Those are the ones that require motorists on an intersecting roadway to make a right-hand turn even if they're looking to cross the road or go left. After going right for a couple of hundred feet, those drivers then rely on a dedicated median U-turn to head back in the originally intended direction.)

Both of those fixes appear to have been successful.

At the Casey's intersection on the west side of Eagle Lake, though, the improvements didn't work as expected. The most notable change there was a lengthy acceleration lane for County Road 56 drivers turning left onto westbound Highway 14 to Mankato.

The changes actually made an already-crash-prone intersection even more so, with an increase in both the frequency and severity of crashes. That resulted in the 2022 project that converted the intersection to a J-turn at a cost of $1.2 million, a decision Thompson detailed in the Nov. 13 "Ask Us" column.

On to the new questions, which Thompson broke into two:

1.) Will MnDOT be dedicating funds for a safer intersection solution in Eagle Lake?

2.) Is MnDOT planning for a grade-separated intersection treatment (i.e. an interchange with a bridge and ramps) in Eagle Lake?

In providing answers, Thompson again referenced a 2021 MnDOT study filled with statistical evidence that J-turns reduce serious crashes by 69% compared to traditional at-grade intersections and that they are even a bit safer than rural grade-separated interchanges.

A J-turn is also much less expensive to build than an interchange, and MnDOT has little choice but to think about cost when trying to stretch a limited budget over a broad territory.

District 7 sprawls from Waseca County in the east to the Iowa and South Dakota lines in the south and west. Over those 13 counties, there are 39 intersections on major highways where the rate of fatal and serious-injury crashes is above the state average, according to Thompson. Due to inadequate funding for safety improvements, 26 of those intersections — 70% — are not yet on MnDOT's list of scheduled improvements.

"With limited safety funding and a long list of safety needs, MnDOT needs to deploy proven lower-cost safety treatments that maximize the safety benefits derived from the limited funds available," he said. "This is why motorists are seeing more and more J-turns in south-central Minnesota and across the state."

So the bottom line is: Eagle Lake has received recent intersection improvements; based on statistical evidence, the upgrades should result in increased safety even with growing traffic volumes; other parts of the district with dangerous intersections are still waiting for their upgrades.

And if some Eagle Lake drivers strongly prefer an interchange to a J-turn, they have the option of using the interchange at County Road 12 and Highway 14. That interchange is just 1.6 miles to the west of the Casey's corner using Old Highway 14.

Finally, the reader wondered if MnDOT has long-range plans to give Eagle Lake an interchange of its own, even if funding isn't in place.

The idea has been considered, Thompson said. In 2005, MnDOT, the county and the city of Eagle Lake worked together on the "Highway 14 Long-Term Access Study From Highway 22 Through Eagle Lake."

The study recommended a future half-interchange (with an eastbound off-ramp and a westbound on-ramp) at the County Road 56 intersection, but that possibility disappeared with the construction of Casey's in 2010.

"The study also recommended the future development of a partial cloverleaf interchange at the County Road 17 intersection, similar to what was constructed at County Road 12," Thompson said.

That would give Eagle Lake an interchange on its east side to match the one to the west at County Road 12. But the County Road 17 interchange had a 2005 price tag of $18 million, an amount that is now estimated to have grown to $40 million to $60 million.

"To help put that cost in perspective, during the years of 2023 to 2026, the average annual construction budget for MnDOT District 7 — to cover all of the trunk highway system in 13 counties — is anticipated to be approximately $85 million," he said. "Given the substantial cost of an interchange at County Road 17, the existing unmet safety needs throughout the district, and the district's limited financial resources, MnDOT has no current plans for an interchange in Eagle Lake."

Contact Ask Us at The Free Press, 418 S. Second St., Mankato, MN 56001. Call Mark Fischenich at 344-6321 or email your question to mfischenich@mankatofreepress.com; put Ask Us in the subject line.