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BLUE EARTH-- Greg Ous and Angie Piltavar of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) District 7 office attended the Faribault County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday to share upcoming highway plans as well as review ongoing projects within the district.
"As you know, the big project underway in Faribault County is the resurfacing of both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 90 from Highway 169 at Blue Earth to Highway 22 south of Wells," Piltavar, a senior planner with MnDOT, said. "This two-year project involves not only the resurfacing of the highway, but also repairing six bridges, culverts and lighting. The sidewalks at the two I-90 Rest Areas will be improved to comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The total cost of the project is $80.2 million."
Ous, who is the district engineer, expanded on the bridge repairs.
"Just because a bridge may be in poor condition does not mean it is a hazard to the public," he said.
Piltaver shared that work on Highway 22 between Mapleton and Wells is almost complete and that the road has been reopened.
If there was some disappointing news, it was the timeline for when work would begin on Highway 22 from the city of Wells to the Iowa State Line.
"Reconstruction on Highway 22 from Wells to County Road 16 is not scheduled to begin until 2029," Piltavar noted. "The work on Highway 22 from County Road 16 south to the Iowa state line is not scheduled to begin until 2031. Work on the Highway 109/22 project within the Wells city limits is still set for 2026."
Ous also reported MnDOT is working with the city of Elmore about resurfacing Highway 169 through the town.
"We are waiting to see if they wish to make other improvements to their infrastructure before we proceed," Ous explained.
The board also:
-- Voted to hire Jaci Miller as a part-time clerk typist in the recorder's office.
-- Approved the training request of Ellen Skaden of the Veterans Services Office to attend the Minnesota Association of County Verteran Sevice Officers Conference for training and certification purposes.