New Hwy. 14 to feature deer crossing aimed at reducing crashes

While construction of a new Hwy. 14 between Owatonna and Dodge Center will make traveling safer for motorists, some four-legged residents of the area will also find additional safety.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to install a dedicated deer crossing under the highway, said MnDOT Region 6 spokesperson Mike Dougherty. The purpose of the crossing, he said, is to reduce the numbers of deer-vehicle collisions. Reducing the number of collisions will be especially important because when the new roadway is opened for traffic the speed limit will increase from 55 to 65 mph, he added.
The crossing, Dougherty said, is an oversized box culvert that goes from one side of the four-lane to the other. The culvert is about 200 feet long, 20-feet high and 9-feet wide.
Similar crossings have been used in the western U.S. in Utah and Colorado and also in Canada. Some have been under the roadway and others have been more of an overpass, he said.
While MnDOT and DNR have worked together for more than a decade to modify previous culverts to make a place for passage of wildlife, the one near Claremont is the first where a needed culvert was specifically enlarged to allow room for the deer to pass, he said. This was possible, Dougherty said, because the 12-mile section of Hwy. 14 is not a reconstruction of a current roadway but a completely new roadbed.
The location of the culvert is specific to the area, Dougherty said. The DNR recommended the location near Claremont, he said, because its studies have shown that the area is the north-south path that the deer seasonally follow from the Rice Lake area in Steele County in the summer to the more sheltered southern area near Dodge Center Creek watershed.
The crossing portion is a small part of the overall 12.5-mile expansion of the highway from two lanes to four lanes and movement of the highway about a mile south of the current route MnDOT’s animal-friendly modifications into typical bridge and culvert designs over the past 15 years allow a variety of animals to move along riverbanks under the road, instead of only having the option to cross the road. However, the Hwy. 14 structure is the first large culvert installed primarily to accommodate deer.
But, will the deer use the crossing?
“Deer usage will be monitored, but experience has shown that deer populations take time to develop regular use and are especially hesitant at first to use,” said Christopher Smith, MnDOT wildlife ecologist. “It’s designed to be short enough to show daylight through it, which helps encourage use.” 
MnDOT frequently modifies bridges and culverts to improve the potential use for wildlife to travel under the highway, but this is the first structure designed primarily as a deer crossing. The most common wildlife crossing structure is incorporated into bridge rip rap. It’s called a passage bench and has been built in to almost all MnDOT bridge replacements over water for the past dozen years.
“The nearby Hwy. 14 bridge over Dodge Center Creek that was constructed during the Dodge Center bypass phase was modified several years ago to help address wildlife passage and other wildlife concerns,” Smith said.
The deer crossing is but a small part of the total project, Dougherty said, which involves a 12.5-mile two-lane stretch between Owatonna where the four-lane currently ends and the point west of Dodge Center where the highway again becomes a four-lane.
The new Hwy. 14 roadbed is being constructed south of the railroad tracks on the west side of the project and is south of Claremont. The current highway runs north of Claremont.
As the 2020 construction period comes to its end, Dougherty said, the project is about 40% completed. MnDOT plans are still to have the roadway open for traffic by the end of the 2021 construction season with some final work remaining in 2022.
When the Owatonna to Dodge Center portion is completed, the highway will be a continuous four-lane highway from Mankato to Rochester. Funding was announced earlier this year to complete the other stretch of two-lane highway near New Ulm. 
Shafer Contracting of Shafer, Minn., is the prime contractor for the $107,997,119 construction project.
Following guidance from state health officials and to prevent further spread of COVID-19, MnDOT  crews will maintain social distancing practices while working.