Victoria rumble strip to be removed

Homeowners along Hwy. 5 in Victoria won a victory last week when the state agreed to remove a center-line rumble strip that was so noisy it kept them awake at night.

Two weeks ago, Whistleblower wrote about Ron Featherston and his neighbors who objected to the strip after it was installed last year. About 250 cars passed over the strip daily while navigating a curve, according to a tally by Featherston. The noise disturbs neighbors' sleep and disrupts backyard activities.

On June 17, Cara Geheren, an engineer under contract with the city of Victoria hosted a meeting with residents to present Minnesota Department of Transportation findings from its own count of trespasses over the line. Four of five city council members also attended, according to Featherston.

The state findings agreed with the count Featherston made while sitting in a lawn chair on his driveway.

Four options were presented at the meeting.

1. Leave the rumble strip as is.

2. Add a stripe on each side of the rumble strip to encourage drivers to stay further from the strip.

3. Reduce the depth of the strip to lessen the noise.

4. Remove the strip by filling in the grooves.

All residents at the meeting were in favor of removing the strip, or at least nobody dissented, according the Featherston.

On June 24, Geheren presented the residents' recommendation at a Victoria city council meeting. A representative from MnDOT, Scott McBride, spoke for keeping the rumble strip, but the city council voted to recommend removal of it between Bavaria Road and Commercial Avenue.

On Friday, MnDOT agreed to remove the strip, according to a letter sent by Sheila Kauppi, a MnDOT manager, to Victoria city manager, Don Uram.

"While we understand that the rumble strip is a key safety feature that was added to the roadway, we recognize that there are impacts to your community," Kauppi wrote.