The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) recently announced that Mark Schoenfelder has been named the new District Engineer for MnDOT District 6, which is based in Rochester and includes the eastern stretch of Highway 14. Mark has been with MnDOT for around 15 years and previously served as assistant district engineer for program delivery for District 6.

Mark is extremely familiar with the Highway 14 project and some of our members will have had contact with him at previous Highway 14 meetings or updates. In fact, Mark worked directly with the Highway 14 Partnership earlier this year to help identify segments of the Owatonna to Dodge Center project that could be submitted for Corridors of Commerce funding. We look forward to continuing our strong working relationship with Mark and other MnDOT staff as we work toward completion of Highway 14.

Jeff Vlaminck, the previous District Engineer, retired this summer after 41 years with MnDOT. Jeff is a familiar face to many of our members, as he has been directly involved in the Highway 14 project for years. We thank him for his years of service to our state, and sincerely appreciate the thoughtfulness and responsiveness with which he approached the Highway 14 project. We wish him the best in his retirement.