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This map shows the projects in Pipestone County that the Minnesota Department of Transportation has in its 10-year Capital Highway Investment Plan. The year in which the projects are planned is indicated by the color in the legend. Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has four Pipestone County projects on its 10-year plan. Representatives of the state agency presented the plans to the Pipestone County Commissioners during their Sept. 9 meeting.
Next year, MnDOT plans to overlay U.S. Highway 75 with concrete from Pipestone County Road 57 south of Pipestone to County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 9 west of Edgerton. Then in 2029, the portion of Hwy. 75 from Co. Rd. 57 to Hwy. 30 in Pipestone will be overlaid with concrete. The portion planned for 2029 will include a pedestrian trail alongside the highway.
Kelly Brunkhorst, MnDOT District 8 engineer, said Hwy. 75 is now full depth bituminous in that area.
“When that was built back in the 80s, there was a thought that you could just build right on clay and put the bituminous right on clay,” Brunkhorst said. “Of course, 20, 30, 40 years later we find out that it basically rots from the bottom up when you put it directly on clay and don’t put a drainable base in.”
She said the overlay project would include taking off about 3 to 4 inches of asphalt and overlaying it with around 7 inches of concrete.
“That 7 plus inches of concrete gives a nice platform, especially for the traffic out in this area,” Brunkhorst said. “It will be good for a long time.”
She said there would be dowel bars between the panels of concrete and the concrete would be reinforced over culverts.
Work is also planned on Hwy. 75 from CSAH 9 to Veterans Drive in Luverne, which is in MnDOT District 7. That project is planned for 2027 and includes resurfacing of the pavement, culvert replacements and repairs, and lighting upgrades, according to MnDOT.
In 2030, a mill and overlay project with bituminous surface is planned on Hwy. 30 from the intersection of Hwy. 75 in Pipestone to 60th Avenue in Lake Wilson. Megan DeSchepper, MnDOT District 8 planning director, said that project would include the replacement of five box culverts and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements in Lake Wilson.
In 2031, a mill and overlay project with a bituminous surface is planned on Hwy. 75 from the Pipestone Creek north to South Valley Street in Lake Benton.
DeSchepper said projects planned within the next four years are more certain than projects planned over the six years after that, which are more subject to change based upon funding and needs.
Following the update on future plans, the commissioners reiterated their discontent regarding the removal of signs for communities along Hwy. 75.
“It just seems like small cities are being marginalized statewide,” said Commissioner Luke Johnson. “They’re struggling enough the way it is. If people can’t even find them, obviously they’re going to be struggling even more.”
The commissioners previously discussed the matter with Cody Brand, MnDOT District 8 traffic engineer, in January. Brands told them then that the green signs with city names were intended to direct drivers to a business area and some of them directed drivers to communities that did not have such amenities. He said not replacing the signs after they’d been removed also saved money.
Brunkhorst said there was a statewide effort to reduce the number of signs and that people in Meeker County had also complained about the removal of the signs. She said she would look into whether others had complained as well and, if so, maybe it was something that needed to be looked at.
In other business:
The fall festival planned for Sept. 27, for which the Commissioners had approved use of the Pipestone County Fairgrounds with no fee, will not be happening.