MnDOT Seeks Public Input on Highway 71 Reconstruction in Sauk Centre

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is eight years away from rebuilding Highway 71 in south Sauk Centre, but it wants to hear from the people who use the road now.

MnDOT will hold its first open house on the project later this month at Sauk Centre City Hall. The agency is asking residents, business owners and travelers to share their ideas and look over potential design concepts.

A business meet and greet will run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., followed by the public open house from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Both are Tuesday, November 17th, at city hall, 320 Oak Street South. People can stop by anytime, and the same information will be available at both.

The reconstruction is planned for 2034 and would run from the south junction of Highway 28 and 410th Street to just north of Interstate 94 at 12th Street South/Stearns County Road 186.

Before then, MnDOT is studying how people drive, walk and bike along the corridor, and where the biggest traffic and safety problems are. Heavy commercial truck traffic is one area of focus. Others include whether to update the traffic signals or build roundabouts at the south junction of Highways 71 and 28, and how best to manage traffic near the I-94 interchange, including the ramp intersections.

The study is also looking at safe access to nearby properties and better options for pedestrians and bicyclists.

MnDOT plans to hold a second public meeting and draft an implementation plan later this fall or winter. A final report is expected in the winter or spring of 2027.

Anyone who can’t attend can learn more, sign up for updates and share feedback on the Highway 71 south Sauk Centre study page. Questions can also go to MnDOT project study manager Tom Cruikshank at 320-223-6526 or thomas.cruikshank@state.mn.us.

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