At 11 a.m. Monday, October 31, the Highway 12 Safety Coalition chair Chief Gary Kroells will be holding press conference/ribbon cutting celebration recognizing the completion of two years of highway construction safety improvements which have included two roundabouts, an extension of a center median divider, and the construction of a bridge overpass which realigns Hennepin County Road 92 where it intersects with Highway 12 in the City of Independence.
As many of you know, this section of the corridor of Highway 12 has been overrepresented with fatal and severe injury crashes over the last decade. This reconstruction and safety improvements have redesigned how the roadways intersect, lowered speeds at these intersections and created a safer roadway for motorists.
This project completion is an example of the communities along the Highway 12 corridor coming together to create the Highway 12 Safety Coalition which has always included all stakeholders needed to create a safer roadway. Local government officials, city, county, and state law enforcement, The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and county transportation representatives and state legislative representatives have all been involved. Media coverage of the crashes and issues on this highway also played a part in bringing awareness to the needs for these safety improvements.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on the new County Road 92 bridge over Highway 12 in the City of Independence. Ribbon cutting will commence at 11a.m. Brief comments will be heard from Chief Kroells, mayors from Delano, Maple Plain and Independence, Hennepin County Commissioner Kevin Anderson and a representative from MNDOT. After comments, group photos will be taken. Media can report as early as 10:30 a.m.for setup.
Travel on Highway 12 and exit at the roundabout to Hennepin County Road 92 in Independence.
Any questions regarding this press release can be directed to Sergeant Rick Denneson of the West Hennepin Public Safety Department at 763-479-0509 or rdenneson@westhennepin.com