The Metropolitan Council's Transportation Advisory Board recently awarded $7 million in federal transportation funds to Carver County for expanding a 1-mile stretch of Hwy. 41 from Hwy. 212 to Pioneer Trail in Chaska.

Work on the project, which will include widening the highway from two to four lanes and improving two intersections, is expected to take place in 2018, according to Lyndon Robjent, public works director for the county. The total cost of $10 million includes funds to be contributed by the state, county and city of Chaska, Robjent said.

Hwy. 41 is a state highway under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, but the county recognizes it as a high priority and made a commitment to be the lead agency to seek funding for the expansion.

"Trunk Hwy. 41 is a critical transportation corridor for our community and the region and is clearly in need of improvements," said Randy Maluchnik, chairman of the Carver County Board. "Expansion of 41 is not in the State Highway Improvement Plan, so we were left with two choices — do nothing and watch congestion escalate and traffic safety degrade, or take the lead to seek funding ourselves," he said.

About 17,400 vehicles travel the one-mile segment per day. The 2030 projected daily volume is 24,000 vehicles, Robjent said.

The transportation board awarded a total of $175 million in federal funds for transportation projects throughout the Twin Cities for 2017 through 2019.

Other notable projects in Carver County that received funding include two regional trail projects along the Hwy. 5 corridor in Chanhassen and signal retiming work on Hwy. 41.

Plans for the four other Carver County projects that did not receive funding are on hold, Robjent said. Those proposed projects are a Hwy. 212 expansion from County Road 43 to County Road 11, a County Road 13 reconstruction from Hwy. 5 to Hwy. 7, a County Road 10 expansion from County Road 11 to West Chaska Creek and a County Road 10 reconstruction from County Road 32 to Hwy. 5.

Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723