MnDOT seeks feedback on Hwy 14 & Broadway intersection

(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota Department of Transportation revealed preliminary designs Tuesday evening for changes coming to the intersection at Highway 14 and Broadway Avenue in Rochester in 2027.

It’s the biggest and busiest intersection in the city, but certainly not the safest.

From 2018 to 2022 there were 152 crashes, including one that resulted in serious injuries.

As part of their design and engineering phase, they are seeking community feedback on how to make the new design work best for everyone.

The response from the community so far has been mostly positive, as people are happy to see safety at the intersection will improve.

Project Manager Robert Jones says one of the biggest concerns from the community are the mounds that block the visibility of traffic.

“People cannot see, they’re a hinderance, they’re causing crashes,” said Jones. The proposed redesign will remove these mounds and bring the right turn lanes up to the traffic light.

Another major concern is the lack of pedestrian crosswalks.

“I avoid it as much as I can as a pedestrian,” said Rochester local Greta Gosewisch.

The new design plan will add crosswalks in all directions to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

But not everyone is happy with the new design. Kelly Dunagan lives in the neighborhood near the intersection and is against the proposed change of blocking off the exit to Highway 14 from 1st Avenue.

“It’s not a huge neighborhood to begin with, our access would be now third avenue because you just basically closed off probably our best access to the neighborhood,” said Dunagan.

Jones was happy to receive the feedback, saying that’s exactly why MnDOT is looking to hear from the community these changes will affect.

“This is just a conceptual design here, we’re just getting out, getting feelers, getting public input. We really want to hear from the public and know what they want,” said Jones.

MnDOT will hold more public feedback sessions, including one for residents at Slatterly Park at their neighborhood meeting next Tuesday.

There will also be a feedback session for business owners near the intersection Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

MnDOT has an online survey that is open through Oct. 31 for community members to provide input on the proposed design. You can find that here.