Update: U.S. Highway 12 opened on Oct. 28, and already the new barrier has saved lives; a man was driving down U.S. Highway 12 when a medical emergency occurred and another person noticed this and called it in to the police. They were then able to assist the man.
The U.S. Highway 12 bypass will be closed on Oct. 17 for 18 days in order to construct a barrier down the center. The barrier is being constructed in order to prevent head-on fatalities from occurring. The barrier will extend 3.5 miles east from County Road 6, extend to the east to where old highway 12 (county road 112) meets up with the six-lane highway 12.
According to Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the official detour will be County Road 112, also known as old Highway 12.
“I take Highway 12 to school everyday and now it’s going to be super backed up because everyone has to go through Long Lake. I’ll have to take the back roads which will add extra time to my travels,” senior Natalie Smaron said.
U.S. Highway 12 will be closed completely for the safety of motorists and construction workers.
“As a result of this project, cross-over crashes will be eliminated on this stretch of road. However, people still need to drive attentively as daily peak rush hour results in slower stopped traffic on this section of roadway,” Project Manager Ron Rauchle said.
“I think the barrier will make it safer because then people won’t think that it’s a two lane highway and that will prevent people from crossing over the centerline,” senior Maja Peterson said.
Project Manager Ron Rauchle and Traffic Support Area Manager Chad Erickson have been working on improving the safety of U.S. Highway 12. MnDOT is coming up with future improvements that can be made to improve U.S. Highway 12 in addition to the bypass segment.
“MnDOT is planning future safety improvements on U.S. Highway 12 west of County Road 6 to County Line Road on the east side of Delano,” Rauchle said.
The new barrier will cause the road to become smaller as the concrete barrier will not require construction but is simply being placed between the two lanes.
After construction, the eastbound and westbound lanes will be narrowed by one foot. This will result in the road changing from 12 feet to 11 feet wide. The inside shoulder between the concrete median barrier and the road will be two feet.
This project should provide more safety for motorists traveling on this road, however, caution should still be used anytime one is driving.
“This is a safety driven project that came together very quickly, even though there were significant hurdles in the path. I think it is a good example of what can be accomplished when the local communities and agencies work with MnDOT towards a shared goal,” Erickson said.