WILLMAR - Members of the Minnesota Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee will be in Willmar Friday afternoon to discuss making Highway 23 four lanes from New London to Paynesville.
The project may have gotten a boost Tuesday when Gov. Mark Dayton included it in his proposal for road and bridge improvements across Minnesota. The two-lane portion of Highway 23 between Paynesville and New London was included in the list.
The committee members will be in St. Cloud to view projects earlier in the day and to hold a public hearing from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the St. Cloud City Council Chambers, 400 Second St. S., St. Cloud.
They will travel down Highway 23, arriving for a 3:20 p.m. meeting at 3:20 p.m. Friday at Northern States Supply in Willmar’s industrial park.
Local business people will talk about the importance of completing the four-lane route between Willmar and Interstate 94. Two two-lane “gaps” remain along the road, which has been gradually improved over more than a decade.
Area businesses have long lobbied for a four-lane Highway 23 to I-94, saying that Willmar is the largest city in the state not served by a four-lane road. They also point out that western Minnesota is the only region of the state without a four-lane link to the Twin Cities area.
Dayton’s list includes improvements for state roads and bridges in many area counties. However, the list of projects is likely to change frequently as it moves through the legislative process.
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