$25.5 million goes to Hwy. 19 reconstruction in Northfield

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has been awarded $25.5 million in federal funding to reconstruct and repave a heavily trafficked stretch of Hwy. 19 in Northfield.

The grant, announced Friday by U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, will be used to address a number of safety and traffic flow concerns along a portion of the highway that extends from Decker Avenue to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Plans include converting the highway into a three-lane roadway with dedicated areas for left turns and a roundabout at the intersection of Hwy. 19 and Armstrong Road. Improvements will also be made to sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, according to MnDOT.

“Every day, thousands of Minnesotans rely on Highway 19 to get to and from work, school, the doctor’s office, the grocery store — you name it — and that’s why this project is so important,” Craig said in a written statement.

The grant was part of a $785 million package announced Friday by the Biden administration to advance transportation projects in rural areas. One other Minnesota project, in Carver County, also received $25 million. That project calls for expanding Hwy. 5 from two to four lanes between Chanhassen and Victoria.