Appreciates legislators’ efforts for Hwy. 212

To the Editor:
On behalf of the members of the Southwest Corridor Transportation Coalition, I want to thank state Sen. Scott Newman and state Reps. Glenn Gruenhagen and Jim Nash for introducing legislation that provides funding for US Highway 212 improvements.
Residents of Carver County have benefitted immensely from the construction of the new Highway 212 out to Chaska. As anticipated, the expansion of this critical corridor has not only improved the safety and timeliness of commutes, it has led to job creation and economic growth in our area.
Safety has to be our top priority and the new Highway 212 has clearly led to fewer accidents and fatalities than on what was once an outdated, dangerous two-lane highway with more traffic than it could handle.
Our work on Highway 212 is not yet complete. This major corridor remains an important farm-to-market route and a prime connection to Greater Minnesota – all the way out to the border with South Dakota. There are still two segments of Highway 212 in Carver County that need to be completed to four lanes. It’s time for the only two-lane high priority interregional corridor to be finished, building on the safety and capacity improvements we have already invested in. Leaving these two segments undone hurts the function of the entire highway.
Legislation introduced by our area lawmakers would direct $28 million in trunk highway funds to expanding Highway 212 between Chaska and Cologne and to building a new interchange at Carver County Road 140.
With all of the attention on transportation at the Legislature this year, we urge all of our representatives to work together on legislation that will increase investments in transportation and allow for needed improvements on Highway 212.
Robert J. Lindall
President, Southwest
Corridor Transportation Coalition