WILLMAR -- New measures to alert drivers to road closures have been installed around Willmar, bringing with them a whole new meaning to gated community.
District 8 of the Minnesota Department of Transportation has recently installed flashing signs and gates on several of the area's main highways to help improve driver awareness of possible road closures.
Exit points from Willmar along U.S. highways 71 and 12 and state highways 40 and 23 were all selected for the new warning systems. MnDOT used signs with flashing lights, gates and a combination of both at specific exit points in the area. Both highways 71 and 23 south were equipped with gates, while the east and west exits of Highway 12 and the east exit of Highway 40 were equipped with flashing signs. No signs or gates were installed on the Highway 71/23 bypass north of Willmar.
While the gates are new along rural roads in Minnesota, gates have been used for several years along interstate highways to warn of road closures. Dave Solsrud, operations engineer for District 8 based in Willmar, said the new systems don't represent a change in the state's attempt to keep roads open. "It's just a matter of trying to improve communications."
Over the past eight years that Solsrud has worked in District 8, he said he can recall only one time when a road was closed.
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Solsrud works with all area MnDOT plow operators and works jointly with local law enforcement to make sure roads are drivable.
In other words, if schools begin closing and snow starts blowing, "it's my responsibility to make that decision," Solsrud said about closing roads.
If roads are closed, gates will be lowered across lanes that exit Willmar. Signs with flashing lights that say "road closed when flashing" will also be activated. Coupled with alerts through local media and an accurate weather forecast, "you wouldn't expect this to be a surprise," Solsrud said.
For those people that still feel the need to be adventurous, fines of up to $700 can be leveled along with civil liabilities for any rescue costs up to $10,000 for ignoring the closures, according to state laws.
Although the law on driving on barricaded highways is straightforward, Kandiyohi County Sheriff Dan Hartog said each case would generally be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Hartog said many of the roads throughout the county intersect and someone driving on a closed road may not even realize it.
Ticketing and enforcement would more likely be used against people driving around the barricades or flashing lights, or attempting to use back roads to exit town.
"They are put down for a reason," Hartog said about the gates. "And it is a safety issue."
In the past Hartog has seen people move or drive around barricades. Hartog asked that people take the closures seriously because large drifts or blowing snow can cause serious accidents, with costly repercussions.
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MnDOT conducted extensive research before installing the gates and flashing signs. Solsrud said traffic volumes and proximity to communities played into where warning systems were placed.
Similar warning systems were also recently installed in the cities of Clara City, Montevideo, Madison, Granite Falls, Olivia and Redwood Falls.
