North Highway 75 is on the state’s to-do list for improvements from Luverne to Trosky by 2028.
That’s according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Sam Parker who met with a skeptical Rock County Board in July.
Parker, acting principal planner for District 7 (which comprises 13 counties in the south half of the state including Rock County) said that stretch of highway would be past its usual life expectancy in six years.
State says Highway 75 is in ‘fair’ condition
He indicated the ride quality index (RQI) performance rating assigned to North Highway 75 is expected to drop by 2028.
“We currently have a RQI score of 2.4, which falls toward the middle of ‘fair,’” he wrote in a follow-up email.
“Our pavement models indicate that the roadway will fall to ‘poor’ in 2028, the year currently planned, with a projected RQI of 2.0.”
Parker presented the MnDOT 10-year highway improvement plan at the commissioners’ July 19 meeting.
The plan still has the resurfacing and bridge improvement project of North Highway 75 from Luverne to Trosky slated for 2028 and South Highway 75 (from Luverne to the Iowa border and state highway 267 to Hills) for 2030.
Parker explained the RQI is used to rate roadway conditions throughout the state.
The RQI is one of the measuring tools MnDOT uses in deciding which surface improvement projects would be completed with its $60 million annual budget.
“How we measure that performance is done annually by a van that rides every mile of state highways in the state,” Parker said.
“It uses lasers and vibration mechanisms to record how the roads and bridges are performing for us.”
North Highway 75 (outside the Luverne city limits) has a rating of 2.4 or “fair.” South Highway 75 is 2.7 with MN 267 at 2.9, both also “fair.”
When a roadway reaches “poor,” a rating of 2.0 or below, the roadway is considered for major improvements.
Commissioners questioned the RQI given North Highway 75.
“I find it hard to believe that Highway 75 actually is fair,” said Commissioner Greg Burger.
“I would caution someone putting a hot cup of coffee between their legs and driving to Pipestone — find out what happens.”
County questions equity in project priorities
Commissioner Sherri Thompson inquired how the RQI ratings of Rock County roads compare to other roads within the district.
Parker followed up by sending the annual RQI district map to commissioners as part of the Aug. 4 follow-up email. The map is located at the MnDOT website, www.dot.state.mn.us/d7.
Commissioner Stan Williamson noted during Parker’s presentation, “Looks like Nobles County gets everything that they need. We are not really happy with you — you probably already knew that.”
State roads in Nobles County, except a small portion of state highway 91 near the Iowa border, are rated “good.”
Parker said the Interstate receives the highest importance among the 1,600 miles of roadways in District 7 followed by the National Highway System-designated roads and then the non-NHS roads.
Highway 75 is not a “national” road.
I-90 from the South Dakota border to Beaver Creek is currently undergoing a $22 million concrete overlay project. The project is scheduled to be finished in November.
The I-90 project is a continuation of a crack-filling project started in 2021.
“Fortunately, we are able to use some coronavirus relief funding to increase the scope and to do a long-term fix on this stretch,” Parker said.
Plans and cost estimates for North Highway 75 resurfacing are being finalized for possible completion earlier than 2028.
The local project could move up in schedule if additional state or federal funding is received in the district.
Currently the city of Luverne North Highway 75 resurfacing and Main Street intersection reconfiguration is planned for 2025.
“It is a matter of finding the right funding opportunity,” Parker said. “A grant could come available through the DOT bill or additional funding from the state highway trust fund. We want to be ready.”
North Highway 75 originally on 10-year plan in 2025
North Highway 75 could “leap frog” other projects and be completed first – similar to what happened in 2020, when the state’s 10-year plan pushed North Highway 75 from 2025 to 2028.
In 2017 North Highway 75 was dropped entirely from any state-funded improvements.
Parker’s email stated North Highway 75 ride quality index makes it district’s second highest rural non “national” pavement, and in line for improvements in 2028.
“RQI is obviously a key performance measure that we are using to measure pavement performance across the district (and state), but we are also looking at the rate of pavement deterioration as well as the physical assessment of the roadway in the pavement, base and soils below the driving surface,” Parker added.