The need for safe and efficient transportation around Owatonna has been recognized since 1993. Over the years, the City of Owatonna and Steele County have worked to address this need, with the East Side Corridor now emerging as a critical project. However, its development highlights the importance of a collaborative, safety-first, and forward-thinking approach that incorporates both historical context and community input.

The current proposal involves constructing a highway within a reduced right-of-way just 17 feet of established neighborhoods, impacting hundreds of familes. This alignment, based on designs developed over 25 years ago, raises significant safety and health concerns. These neighborhoods were built with city approval, and residents trusted that their proximity to any future roadways would not compromise their safety or quality of life. Despite this, the current plan proposes a 100-foot right of way, which may be inadequate to support the road, the necessary mitigation measures, and additional plans. Notably, earlier iterations of the project addressed similar safety concerns by placing the highway 800 feet away, yet today's plan highlights the dangers of encroachment.

Although the project is being presented as a new initiative, it continues to rely on outdated studies and planning assumptions. Residents have expressed their concerns and proposed compromise solutions that align with the project’s goals. These solutions emphasize safety, minimize community impact, and support long-term growth. Engaging with these ideas could help address rising costs, which have escalated from $9 million in 2022 to $30 million by 2024, due to inefficiencies, delays, and mitigation costs.

The East Side Corridor has the potential to shape the future of Steele County. To ensure its success, the process must prioritize collaboration with the community, transparency in decision-making, and the adoption of modern safety standards. By working closely with residents to identify mutually beneficial solutions, the project can meet transportation needs while fostering trust and ensuring the safety and well-being of all affected. 

Owatonna and Steele County residents, both today and in the future, deserve a plan that not only prioritizes their safety but also reflects fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability!

The outlots on the east side of our subdivision were meant to be secondary access points, but they are only 100 feet wide—much smaller than MnDOT's 150-foot standard for a highway right of way. Putting a highway just 17 feet from our bedroom windows creates serious safety and noise problems that still haven’t been addressed, even after 2.5 years of work on this project. When we raise these issues, we’re told, 'We need to wait for environmental reports to see the impacts.' But MnDOT and FHWA recommend addressing safety and noise early so they can be included in those reports.

As residents, we feel stuck choosing between constant highway noise or tall noise walls blocking sunlight just a few feet from our homes if the highway is built on 29th Ave. We’ve offered alternative solutions that meet the project’s needs, improve safety, and plan for the future, but the community input process has failed us by not considering residents’ concerns and suggestions.  Despite other options, the 29th Ave route is the only option being studied.