A bill that would authorize $15 million for upgrades to make a dangerous segment of Hwy. 12 in the west metro safer will get another hearing Wednesday.

The Transportation Policy and Finance Committee will take up the bill that would direct $15 million dollars from the state trunk highway fund for improvements on Hwy. 12, including intersection realignments as well as barricades to prevent crossover accidents.

Members of the Highway 12 Safety Coalition and families who have lost loved ones in crashes are expected to speak during the hearing, which is set for 6 p.m. in the basement of the State Office Building.

"With everyone working together, we can make this road safer for all of our loved ones to drive each and everyday," wrote West Hennepin Public Safety Chief Gary Kroells, who is also a member of the Highway 12 Safety Coalition.

Over the past five years, there have been more than a dozen fatal crashes that left 16 people dead on a 38-mile stretch of Hwy. 12 between Wayzata and Delano and into Wright County. There have been 811 crashes over the past five years on the two-lane highway that was built in the 1930s, but now carries more than 15,000 vehicles a day, by MnDOT counts. More than 239 people have been injured, according to DPS statistics.

Those numbers prompted the coalition to issue a challenge in November for drivers to go one year without a fatal crash in that section. The coalition composed of public safety and community leaders and concerned citizens was formed in July 2014 and has been pushing for improved safety along the corridor.

The bill authored by Jerry Hertaus would authorize the state to sell $15 million in bonds. Proceeds would be used to realign intersections at County Roads 92 and 90, and put in a concrete median barrier between Wayzata Blvd. and County Road 6.