State dedicates $60 million to creating interchange U.S. Highway 14 and County Road 44

Jul. 13—ROCHESTER — Recently announced state funding is expected to open a path for creation of a new interchange project at the intersection of

U.S. Highway 14 and County Road 44

.

Gov. Tim Walz announced this week that $380 million in the Minnesota Department of Transportation funding for the state's Corridors of Commerce program includes $60 million to build a grade separated interchange at the intersection located between Rochester and Byron.

The county had requested $41.2 million from the Minnesota Legislature for the planned $60.2 million project. The county has already secured $19 million in local and state funds to start planning and other work related to the project.

"Olmsted County is excited for this contribution as design for the TH 14 and CSAH 44 interchange project is progressing and moving toward construction," Assistant Olmsted County Engineer Nathan Arnold said in a statement announcing the new funding.

The proposed interchange project is expected to address three main goals: safety, mobility and growing capacity.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed the median at the intersection last year in response to safety concerns related to existing traffic. The closing, which comes with construction of "modified J-turns," has been referred to as a temporary step until funding for a new interchange can be secured.

The new funding will create a bridge for north and south traffic, but specific plans remain in the works, with

three alternatives presented during a December open house

.

Kaye Bieniek, the county's physical development division administrator, said at the time that state or federal funding would be key to moving the project forward.

The Corridors program, overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, is designed to fund state highway projects that directly and indirectly foster economic growth and relies on funds approved by the Minnesota Legislature.

Deputy County Administrator Pete Giesen said "the tenacity and continued advocacy by so many parties" contributed to securing the funding that will make the interchange project a reality.

"About a dozen crashes a year happen at the intersection of (County Road) 44 and (Highway) 14," he said. "With our county population growing and traffic volumes only expected to increase at this location, building this interchange is absolutely critical to helping keep people safe."

With full funding for the project, the previously announced timeline calls for final design of the interchange project to be completed this year, with plans to start construction in 2024.