West suburban leaders meet to address Hwy. 12 road safety

Recent fatal crashes on a west-suburban stretch of Hwy. 12 are giving new urgency to efforts to make the road safer.

On Thursday the newly-formed Highway 12 Safety Coalition will meet at the Delano City Hall. The lobbying group composed of officials from Orono to Howard Lake met for the first time in November to craft plans for increasing safety along the busy corridor. Possibilities include rumble strips in the center and lighting at some intersections.

Four people have died in three crashes on Hwy. 12 in the area of Maple Plain/County Road 6 since April, said Jennifer Johnson, of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday a 55-year-old Richfield man was killed just east of County Road 83. On Dec. 2, a 24-year-old Plymouth woman died in a crash involving a UPS truck just east of Maple Plain. In both cases, a vehicle crossed the centerline.

It's not clear if driver inattention, medical situations or mechanical failures played a role in either crash, but road design has long been a topic of discussion.

"West of Wayzata, it's truly unforgiving," said Hennepin County Sheriff Richard Stanek. "We lose a couple out there every year. There is no barrier. It may look like a four-lane road and drivers might get confused."

Stanek said the topic will be brought to the Capitol when the Legislature convenes next year.

But traffic volume has increased as population in cities such as Delano, St. Michael, Maple Plain and points west has risen. Traffic on Hwy. 12 in western Hennepin County has swelled to 15,000 vehicles a day, by MnDOT counts.

"There is more pressure on the roads," said Chief Gary Kroells of the West Hennepin Public Safety, a member of the Hwy. 12 coalition. "Congestion has made it more difficult to gain access, and I've seen an increase of serious injury crashes."

Kroells said his group would like to see rumble strips in the center of the highway and better lighting at the intersections of County Road 90 and 92. They may not prevent head-on crashes, but "if a driver is texting, sleepy, it could wake them up. An inch or two might mean a sideswipe, but at least they live," he said.

MnDOT, which will have a representative at Thursday's meeting, has said that next year it will put rumble strips down the center of the highway from County Road 6 west to County Roads 90 and 92, an area where "crossing of the centerline has been a concern," Rauchle said.

In recent years MnDOT has rebuilt a railroad overpass in Maple Plain and made upgrades at county road crossings. It said it is considering other ways to improve sightlines.