Two Hwy 14 median closures west of Rochester to begin next week

Brandon Marshall

(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will be begin removing medians on Monday, July 25 at two intersections on Hwy 14 west of Rochester to Byron.

Motorists will encounter lane closures as crews close the medians that cross Hwy 14 at Olmsted County Road 44 and 7th St. NW.

The closures are being done to improve safety. Removing the medians will reduce the chance of right-angle (T-bone) highway speed crashes. These types of crashes often cause serious injuries or death.

The work should be done sometime in early-to-mid August.

MnDOT crews will:

  • Permanently close the median at 7th NW.
    • Vehicles on 7th NW will not be able to cross Hwy 14 but will be able to make a right turn onto Hwy 14.
    • Vehicles traveling eastbound Hwy 14 will be able to make right turn exits off the highway onto 7th NW.
    • Vehicles traveling westbound Hwy 14 will not be able to make left turn exits onto 7th NW.
  • Permanently close the median at Hwy 14 and Olmsted County Road 44.
    • Vehicles on County Road 44 will not be able to cross Hwy 14, but vehicles will be able to make right turns onto Hwy 14.
    • Vehicles traveling on Hwy 14 will be able to take right-turn exits onto County Road 44. but left turns will not be allowed.

MnDOT also announced plans to construct a reduced conflict intersection (RCI) at Hwy 14 and Olmsted County Road 3 in 2023. Once constructed, vehicles will exit and enter Hwy 14 and will only be able to cross the roadway at designated U-turn sections. Flashing warning signs alerting drivers at the intersection, to help draw a driver’s attention to the cross traffic at the intersection will be installed this summer.

To learn more about this Hwy 14 project click HERE.