Highway 23 Investments Benefit to the State of Minnesota
Highway 23 is the second longest state transportation system in the State of Minnesota traveling from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. Today, much of this route remains a 2-lane highway. To address these limitations, the Highway 23 Coalition is focused on advocating for a 4-lane expansion throughout the corridor. A 4-Lane MN Highway 23 from Sioux Falls, SD to Duluth, MN & Superior, WI will provide for region-wide; time saving route across Minnesota, decreased traffic congestion in Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area, increased economic opportunities including tourism, and opportunity for community growth.
Willmar Bypass Project
The Highway 23 Coalition, and project partners, are working hard to pursue funding to develop and construct the Highway 23 Willmar Bypass Project. View the project one pager below for more information.
To date, the following funding requests have been submitted.
- 2022 Corridors of Commerce request for $9.6M submitted on November 30, 2022
Adding Funding Efforts
The Highway 23 Coalition, and project partners, are working together to pursue funding for the following priority projects.
Marshall to Granite Falls Feasibility Study
The Highway 23 Coalition requests $3M in Congressionally Directed and Community Designated Spending for a 35.5 mile feasibility study of Highway 23, between the Cities of Marshall and Granite Falls Minnesota. Remaining funds will be used to further develop priority projects identified by the study. The Highway 23 Marshall to Granite Falls Feasibility Study is a high priority need to address a critical two-lane gap on a trunk highway route connecting the City of Marshall, a regional manufacturing and agricultural center, and US Highway 212.
Study Need
- Address a two-lane gap directly tying Trunk Highway 23 into US Highway 212.
- Address safety issues; 6 fatal and 3 serious injury crashes in last ten years.
- A priority project for the Highway 23 Coalition and project partners.
- Due to the absence of interstate highway in this MnDOT District 8, there is a strong reliance on Highway 23 to provide regional connections.
- ADM Grain Elevators (Marshall Industrial Park) grinds an estimated 200k bushels of corn daily and always has 1 million bushels of storage on site.
- A five-mile buffer of the study corridor is home to over 10,000 jobs.
- Trunk Highway 23 provides primary access to the Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall within the study area.
Funding Need
- $3.75 Million Total Project Cost
Desired Study & Project Schedule
- December 2023: CDS Award
- June 2024 - June 2025: Corridor Study
- July - August 2025: Impact Agency Approval of Vision
- September 2025 - December 2026: Priority Project(s) Preliminary Design & Environmental Documentation
- Next Steps TBD on Funding
Foley to Mora Feasibility Study
The Highway 23 Coalition requests $3M in Congressionally Directed and Community Designated Spending for a 36.4 mile feasibility study of Highway 23, between the Cities of Foley and Mora Minnesota. Remaining funds will be used to further develop priority projects identified by the study. The Highway 23 Foley to Mora Feasibility Study is a high priority need to address safety issues on a critical two-lane trunk highway route connecting the Cities of Foley and Mora to US Highway 169.
Study Need
- Address a two-lane gap between three destination communities, Trunk Highway 23 and US Highway 169.
- Address safety issues: 17 fatal and 12 severe injury crashes in past ten years.
- A priority project for the Highway 23 Coalition and project partners.
- Trunk Highway 23 supports tourism traffic to Mile Lacs Lake and Duluth.
- Trunk Highway 23 will carry aggregate from a near future several hundred-acre quarry northeast of Foley to the Twin Cities region.
- Trunk Highway 23 is one of the few direct east-west connections between I-94 and I-35 in east central Minnesota due to state forest land and the start of northern lakes country.
- A five-mile buffer of the study corridor is home to over 9,400 jobs.
Funding Need
- $3.75 Million Total Project Cost
Desired Study & Project Schedule
- December 2023: CDS Award
- June 2024 - June 2025: Corridor Study
- July - August 2025: Impact Agency Approval of Vision
- September 2025 - December 2026: Priority Project(s) Preliminary Design & Environmental Documentation
- Next Steps TBD on Funding
J-Turn at Bel Clare Dr. in Waite Park
The Highway 23 Coalition requests $1.2M in Congressionally Directed and Community Designated Spending for design engineering and construction activities to advance the Bel Clare Drive Intersection Improvement Project in the City of Waite Park, Minnesota. This project supports the needs and future transportation investments identified in Southwest Beltline Corridor Study and serving a large growth area in the St. Cloud metropolitan area.
Study Need
- Waite Park is one of the fastest growing regional destinations providing jobs, services and amenities for many residents and commuters along the Trunk Highway 23 corridor.
- Will reduce conflicts between 30,000 vehicles per day on Trunk Highway 23 and large amounts of grain haulers traveling to and from ADM Grain Elevator directly adjacent the project.
- Will drastically reduce or eliminate common crash types (left turn and right angle).
- Will address safety concerns at an intersection operating with a critical crash index above the state average for similar intersections.
- Increased safety and reliability of trips for residents of the Bel Clare Estates Mobile Home Community directly adjacent the project.
- The project area (1/2 mile in each direction) is home to 24% people of color, 19% live below the poverty level, and 32% of households are cost burdened.
Funding Need
- $1.5 Million Total Project Cost
Project Schedule
- April to October 2022 - Corridor and Safety Audit
- December 2023 - CDS Award Announcement
- June 2024 to February 2025 - Preliminary & Final Design
- May to October 2025 - Project Construction