Though the Minnesota Legislature has invested a growing amount of money into road improvements, projections suggest it won’t be enough to stem further decline in the quality of southwest Minnesota roads, according to staff from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The Waseca County Board of Commissioners heard a broad overview of the state of the region’s road network courtesy of officials from MnDOT’s District 7, which covers 13 counties across southwest Minnesota and is headquartered in Mankato, by far the largest city in the district.
Despite its proximity to Mankato, Waseca County sits on the edge of District 7, which extends all the way to the South Dakota border. MnDOT is tasked with maintaining a small number of key thoroughfares in the county, including U.S. Highway 14 and State Highways 13, 30 and 83.
Today, Waseca County’s major thoroughfares are in relatively good shape, according to MnDOT’s map, aside from a stretch of Highway 14 near Waseca, which is starting to show its wear, and a portion of Highway 13 inside the county.
Waseca County’s bridge network is in a bit weaker condition, according to MnDOT’s map. Most bridges MnDOT maintains in Waseca County are along Highway 14, and they mostly fit into the mid-tier category of “Fair,” indicating they will likely need increased maintenance.
In Mankato, several bridges are actually rated in “Poor” condition. Yet, while Minnesotans may have the memory of the I-35 bridge collapse seared into their minds, MnDOT staff emphasized that the “Poor” rating doesn’t indicate a bridge is structurally unsound, but that it will need more work.
Over the coming decade, annual funding for the road network is projected to increase from around $70 million to $120 million, a hefty sum for a region which, while geographically expansive, includes fewer than 300,000 of Minnesota’s 5.7 million residents.
Of course, part of that increased investment is likely to be swallowed up by increasing construction costs. Still, planned projects over the coming decade include a rebuild of Highway 13 north of Waseca and a replacement of a bridge along Highway 30 near New Richland.
Yet even with hefty investment projected year after year, road and bridge conditions are expected to deteriorate overall over the next decade in District 7, which has 3,200 miles of MnDOT maintained road and 475 MnDOT maintained bridges.
In Waseca County specifically, improvements to some bridges could extend their life but main thoroughfare Highway 14 as a whole is projected to dip into “Fair” territory, as is Highway 13 south of Waseca. A bridge along Highway 13 is even projected to fall into “poor” condition.
From a District 7 perspective, the most crucial thoroughfare is the region’s only Interstate, I-90. Portions are expected to dip into “Fair” condition, but most worrying for MnDOT staff is the aging of bridges along the Interstate, the large majority of which were built around a similar time.
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