Rep. Deb Kiel Schedules Town Halls

Crookston, MINN—Representative Deb Kiel (R-Crookston) has scheduled town hall meetings in a number of communities across her district. Rep. Kiel will review the 2016 legislative session, discuss changes to state law and answer questions from constituents. The meetings are open to the public, and she encourages people to attend.

The meeting in Crookston will take place on Saturday, June 4, 2016, at 10:00 AM at the Irishman's Shanty (1501 South Main Street).

The meeting in East Grand Forks will take place on Monday, June 6, 2016, at 5:00 PM at East Grand Forks City Hall (600 Demers Ave).

The meeting in Fertile will take place on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, at 5:30 PM at Erickson's Smokehouse (605 S Mill Street).

The meeting in Oklee will take place Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 12:00 PM at the Oklee Café (301 Main Street).

The meeting in Brooks will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 5:00 PM at the Brooks Community Center (200 Main Street).

The Red Lake Falls Town Hall will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2016, at 7:00 PM at City Hall (108 2nd Street SW).

"It's an honor to be a state representative for Northwest Minnesota, and I appreciate the questions, comments and input that folks share with me during town hall meetings," said Rep Kiel. "I look forward to sharing our accomplishments from the 2016 legislative session, and gathering input and answering questions about issues important to our area. I am hopeful that people will attend and share their ideas on how we can make our great state even better."

MnDOT urges travelers to use caution in work zones over Memorial Day weekend

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Memorial Day weekend is approaching and summer construction roadwork around the state is getting into full swing. The Minnesota Department of Transportation urges motorists to use extra caution while driving through highway work zones.

Sue Mulvihill, deputy commissioner and chief engineer, said MnDOT suspends work on most projects during the holiday weekend, but cautions drivers to be alert.

“There are still many work zones around the state where drivers need to plan ahead, pay attention and slow down to make it a safe weekend for everyone,” she said.

Motorists should be prepared for slower moving traffic and use extra caution in highway work zones. Plan ahead, think about alternate routes and go to www.511mn.org before leaving home to get information about road construction and detours.

In particular, Twin Cities travelers heading to Alexandria, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls and other areas of northwest Minnesota may encounter major delays along Interstate 94 for several resurfacing and reconstruction projects. Motorists on eastbound I-94 from northwest Minnesota to the Twin Cities should consider using Highway 55.

Motorists should consider avoiding the time period between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday for eastbound I-94 near Collegeville/St. John’s. Significant delays are expected with only one lane of lane traffic open through September 2016.

Other highway projects that may affect weekend travel on May 27-30 include:

Twin Cities area

·         I-35E between Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake – lane and ramp closures

·         Highway 61 in Forest Lake – single-lane traffic

·         I-94 between St. Paul and Maplewood – overnight lane reductions, daytime intermittent lane and ramp closures

·         Highway 280 between I-35W and Broadway St. – closed, detour

·         I-494 in Plymouth – multiple lane and ramp closures

·         Highway 100 in St. Louis Park – ramp closures and lane shift

·         Highway 8 between Highway 95 and Taylor Falls – closed, detour

Central Minnesota 

·         I-94 between St. Cloud and Collegeville – lane and ramp closures, and slow traffic

·         Highway 169 north of Milaca – one lane each direction and slow traffic

·         I-35 between Pine City and Hinckley – lane shifts and slow traffic

·         Highway 9 between Ada and Borup – detour

·         Highway 23/Willmar Bypass – westbound lane closures

Northern Minnesota   

·         I-35 in Duluth – lane restrictions and ramp closures

·         I-94/Highway 29 in Alexandria – single lane on Highway 29, expect delays

·         County Road 1 in Pequot Lakes – closed east of Highway 371 – detour

·         I-94/Highway 75 in Moorhead – lane closures on Highway 75, and slow traffic

Southern Minnesota    

·         Highway 169 between St. Peter and Mankato – detour

·         Highway 52 southbound between Zumbrota and Pine Island – single lane traffic

·         Highway 23 between Holland and Pipestone, Russell to Florence – detour

Get around

For a complete list of projects, including construction dates and traffic impacts, visit www.mndot.gov/roadwork/current.html. Motorists may also sign up to receive email updates for major projects at www.mndot.gov/emailupdates. A Greater Minnesota traffic impacts map is released every Thursday and the Metro traffic impacts map is released every Friday on www.facebook.com/mndot and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mndotnews.

Be alert

“The leading factors for work zone crashes are driver inattention and speeding. Drivers face many distractions even in the best of conditions – and driving through construction work zones only amplifies distractions with lane changes and other unexpected variations,” said Kristine Hernandez, statewide Toward Zero Deaths coordinator. “Let’s make this holiday weekend a safe one for everyone on the road.”

Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths is the state’s cornerstone traffic safety program that uses education, emergency medical and trauma services, enforcement and engineering approaches to reduce traffic crashes, injuries and deaths on Minnesota roads. For more information, visit www.minnesotatzd.org/. 

MnDOT reminds motorists to: 

·         Check www.511mn.org for up-to-date information about traffic and road conditions

·         Don’t use cell phones or text while driving

·         Follow posted speed limits; fines are higher in work zones

·         Expect delays, especially during peak travel times

“Mumble strip” installation begins May 31 on west central Minnesota highways

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – Motorists on several west central Minnesota highways will soon encounter a quieter form of rumble strips on the roadway.

Crews will begin installing sinusoidal centerline rumble strips, or “mumble strips,” on 13 highways starting May 31.

The mumble strips alert drivers if they drift out of their lane similar to traditional rumble strips, but their design reduces the amount of noise heard outside of the vehicle.

The sections of highways receiving mumble strips include:

·         Highway 9 from Highway 10 to Felton

·         Highway 9 from Benson to Highway 104

·         Highway 28 from Morris to Glenwood

·         Highway 29 from Starbuck to Benson

·         Highway 32 from Ulen to the Norman County line

·         Highway 55 from Barrett to the Douglas County line

·         Highway 55 from Glenwood to the Stearns County line

·         Highway 59 from Interstate 94 to Detroit Lakes

·         Highway 87 from Frazee to the Wadena County line

·         Highway 108 from Pelican Rapids to near Dent

·         Highway 113 from west of Elbow Lake Village to the Hubbard County line

·         Highway 114 from Highway 55 to Starbuck

·         Highway 200 from Mahnomen to the Norman County line

Motorists may encounter brief delays while crews install the mumble strips.

This is the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s first sinusoidal centerline rumble strip project in west central Minnesota.

AAA Striping Service of St. Michael is the prime contractor on the $800,000 project.

The work is expected to take about one month.

Rumble and mumble strips are installed as low-cost safety measure to reduce crashes in which cars run off the road or across the center line.

For real-time travel information anywhere in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or dial 5-1-1.