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Shakopee staff outline $145,000 grant program to study safety on U.S. 169
Summary
City staff described a MnDOT-MN DPS "safe road zones" grant project to study crashes and fund enforcement and education along U.S. 169 through Shakopee, with a safety analysis due before funds must be spent June 30, 2025.
City staff presented an update March 4 on a state-funded Safe Road Zones grant that will pay for a safety study and enforcement aimed at reducing crashes on U.S. 169 through Shakopee.
The presentation to the Shakopee City Council said the city received $92,000 for the education/engineering side of the program and $52,800 for enforcement, for a total award of $144,800. The staff presenter said the education component will fund an engineering study to pinpoint crash causes and locations; the enforcement funds have supported stepped-up traffic enforcement since August 2024.
The staff presenter said the city’s review of crashes between 2019 and 2023 found 640 reported crashes on the corridor, including one fatal crash, nine serious-injury crashes and 62 minor-injury crashes. Councilors heard that the police and fire departments together responded to roughly 2,400 incidents on 169 in 2023. The presenter said those figures came from state-reported crash data and the city’s incident logs.
Staff reported the city has spent about $15,000 of the enforcement award since August 2024, producing about 310 traffic stops; the presenter said roughly 90 of those stops led to speed warnings or citations. The education/engineering contractor will examine pavement condition, winter icing and specific intersection patterns cited in the crash heat map. Staff also said the grant requires that funds be spent by June 30, 2025.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about what the grant’s “education” category covers, whether pavement is a causal factor and how the city will coordinate with MnDOT’s larger pavement rehabilitation project currently planned for 2028. The presenter said the education side will function as an engineering study and that identifying specific trouble spots could inform MnDOT’s 2028 rehabilitation scope.
Mayor Mary Lehman and Council Member Whiting both praised the work and urged attention to signage and advance notice for drivers approaching key interchanges. The council did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said next steps include completing the safety analysis in the coming months, continuing enforcement through June and reporting back to the council with recommendations for changes or capital work.
The city emphasized the project’s timeline: the safety study is scheduled to be completed in the next two months, enforcement work will continue while funds remain available, and staff will seek to coordinate findings with MnDOT’s planned 2028 pavement work so safety fixes can be incorporated.
