Law enforcement, leaders, share local roadway concerns

During an Oct. 6 session which addressed safety on Waseca County roadways, local leaders and law enforcement officers were asked for their input regarding traffic and driver behavior, and how changes in signage, lighting, or road construction might be used to reduce driver errors. Session leader Renae Kuehl, a traffic engineer and consultant leading the session, told those in attendance their comments were being written down, and would be taken into consideration as planning continues.

 

Regarding Hwy. 13, Sheriff Jay Dulas mentioned drivers are confused, and perhaps frustrated, that the speed limit varies between 55 and 60 miles per hour on different sections of the road. That confusion might lead to the speed limit being violated. One deputy mentioned that some drivers make an obvious choice to speed, and told of having clocked numerous drivers exceeding 100 mph on the roadway.

 

Dulas also mentioned that people with homes along Hwy 13 share complaints that entering the highway from their driveways is complicated by the speed at which passing cars are moving.

 

Minnesota Department of Transportation representative Mark Wagner said that changing the posted speed limit signs to be more consistent would require a traffic study and reevaluation of the roadways in question

 

Chief Deputy Doug Gerdts mentioned that area citizens persistently ask for additional enforcement at the intersection of County Roads 2 and 3, where they cross south of Janesville. Area drivers have the perception, confirmed by officers at the site, that a significant number of vehicles fail to stop, or even slow down, while approaching the location, even though it’s well known drivers on 2 have a stop sign.

 

Kuehl offered that a safety plan for the intersection could begin with lower cost options such as adding flashing or dual stop signs, implementing a four-way stop, and/or creating rumble strips. Constructing a roundabout, a project which typically costs between $100,000 and $400,00, would be another approach. 

 

Also mentioned as a possible choice for improvement was the portion of County Road 4 known as the “Snake Trail” leading northwest out of Waseca. Records show that 10 “property damage” crashes took place from 2021 to 2025 along the road: nine were single vehicle; five occurred on a curve; seven involved an animal.

 

Local officers shared the observation that, during colder parts of the year, slippery frost has a tendency to form on the road overnight; in the morning, inconsistent driving conditions develop as the sun warms some parts of the road while frost remains in patches where trees create shade. All Waseca County drivers, they pointed out, should be alert for deer, perhaps especially in areas near woods.

 

One local spokesperson expressed frustration regarding drivers using their smart phones. “I’m floored,” he said, “by the number of people I see with their phones on their ears.

 

“That’s got to contribute to a lot of driver error.”

 

Kuehl acknowledged that “driver behavior” is a contributing factor in 92 percent of all accidents–but that “behavior” includes a wide range of distractions and choices.

 

Since teaching people not to make mistakes is unachievable, she said, and since every severe injury or death is a tragedy, the Toward Zero Deaths program works on factors it can control, including increasing law enforcement, strengthening emergency response programs, and engineering highway features that will “help keep people on the road” even when they make a mistake. 

 

She mentioned one approach is adding features that return their attention to the road: “rumble strips” at both the edge and center of the road are an example. She went on to say that nearby residents sometimes complain about the noise caused as vehicles cross those zones: Newly engineered “mumble strips” have been devised which keep the level of vibration inside vehicles at the same level, but reduce the volume of sound heard around them.

 

Kuehl’s presentation also included discussion of “visual traps,” places where drivers are likely to perceive that a road continues in a straight line, when in fact the main right of way curves or might have a stop sign that won’t be seen until the driver tops a hill. There are numerous ways to address such “traps,” she said–signage of various sizes and sometimes with electronic features can be of help.

 

Deputies mentioned the “traffic approaching” signs which flash along Hwy 60 north of Morristown, saying they and some ambulance drivers have found them helpful.

 

MNDOT representative Wagner shared that studies show signs of that type make a difference when they are first installed, but as drivers become accustomed to them, they have less and less effect.

 

“We aren’t installing any new ones,” he said.

 

Dulas complimented the effectiveness of “median cable barriers” used on new Highway 14 and elsewhere in the county, saying they are very helpful in keeping out-of-control vehicles from either leaving the roadway or crossing into oncoming traffic. Emergency medical personnel, he said, had commented more than once on the barriers’ effectiveness.