Today, the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee passed a budget bill funding Transportation for the next two-year cycle. Senator Julia Coleman (R-Chanhasssen), in her first term as State Senator, secured $25 million to improve Highway 212 through Carver County to expand the number of lanes, add turn lanes, and expand the shoulders. 

“Highway 212 is incredibly dangerous, resulting in at least 4 fatalities in the last 10 years, and our community has been begging for funding to make serious improvements for far too long,” Coleman said. “I am so proud to succeed in finally making these changes for our community become a reality.”

The project, which will expand the highway from two lanes to four lanes from Cologne to Norwood-Young America, will address several challenges including mobility and safety, expanded highway capacity, and replacement of aging infrastructure. This section of the highway has not been expanded or reconstructed since it was originally built in 1929 and its original design has been obsolete for years. It has been on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s “10 Year Plan” for more than 50 years due to the increased traffic and safety concerns without being funded. 

“Many Minnesotans in and around my district rely on Highway 212 every day. The car accidents, the loss of life, and the hours and hours stuck in traffic spent by people just trying to get home have been a burden for too long. It’s about time we are able to get this road fixed so Carver County residents can stop worrying about what’s happening on 212 and spend time with their families.”