Grateful for help on behalf of U.S. Highway 212

To the Editor:
I would like to thank my colleagues from McLeod County, Doug Krueger and Joe Nagel, along with McLeod County Engineer John Brunkhorst, for all of their support as we have worked for a safer and more effective highway system in our area of the state. Having a strong, diverse coalition of partners all advocating for needed improvements in critical freight corridors makes a big difference.
U.S. Highway 212 serves as a major connection for farm-to-market shipments as well as for people traveling to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Truck traffic in this corridor continues to increase as businesses and agricultural interests grow and flourish in our area. Unfortunately, this major interregional corridor still has two segments that are only two lanes as opposed to four lanes. This disruption of the four-lane highway causes safety problems and creates bottlenecks for truck traffic, impacting the economy of the entire region.
We have a plan for fixing these outdated areas and improving the safety of U.S. Highway 212. The support of McLeod County in making these improvements a reality is very much appreciated.
We recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk directly with members of Congress about the need to improve Highway 212. Commissioners Krueger and Nagel talked about the impact of this freight corridor on McLeod County and voiced their support for investing in this corridor to improve the economy and quality of life in the area.
Working together, we can make a difference in securing federal highway dollars that will make the movement of people and products safer and more efficient. Thank you to McLeod County officials for all of your support and your partnership in this effort.
Randy Maluchnik
Carver County Commissioner
Chaska