Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz and Waseca Chamber President Kim Foels met with Sen. Vicki Jensen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk to discuss the need for funds to complete the U.S. Highway 14 expansion project.

Owatonna Mayor Tom Kuntz, Waseca Chamber of Commerce President Kim Foels and U.S. Highway 14 Partnership lobbyist Carolyn Jackson met with Sen. Vicki Jensen (DFL-Owatonna) and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) this morning to drive home the importance of new funding for U.S. Highway 14.

The advocates showed Sen. Bakk how Highway 14 compares to other 100-mile stretches of highway that connect Greater Minnesota. The population along Highway 14 far exceeds the other stretches, most of which already have four lanes of highway connecting them.

The discussion ranged from the history of Highway 14 to the economic significance it holds for the region. Mayor Kuntz stressed that the highway needs to be finished all the way from Rochester to New Ulm, a notion strongly echoed by Sen. Jensen. Foels noted that many companies choose trucking routes that go out of their way so that they can avoid the dangerous strips of Highway 14. Sen. Jensen further stressed the importance of including cash for Corridors of Commerce to complete the land acquisition needed in both sections of the Highway 14 project.

The discussion also covered the possibility of a comprehensive transportation bill. Sen. Bakk reiterated his position that general fund money was not the solution, and expressed the idea of a revenue neutral solution—an increase in new transportation revenue in exchange for tax cuts elsewhere.

We were pleased that Sen. Bakk is paying close attention to the important role that U.S. Highway 14 plays in our communities. Whether U.S. Highway 14 and Corridors of Commerce get addressed through a transportation bill, the tax bill or a bonding bill, we have made a connection with Senate leadership that completing the U.S. Highway 14 expansion project should be a priority this year.