Committee hears Medford officials and MnDOT on 55 mph segment near school; oral amendment adopted and bill laid over

Senate File 1102 (listed in the hearing as 1102) drew extended testimony on March 24 from Medford elected officials, the local school district and MnDOT engineers about a stretch of County State Aid Highway adjacent to a preschool–12 school campus where the posted and preferred speeds include segments of 30, 35, 45 and 55 mph.

Senator Jasinski, the bill sponsor, said the measure responded to repeated local concerns that a 55 mph segment sits directly in front of a school entrance at the crest of a hill. Danny Thomas, mayor of Medford, described the site: 14 buses enter the school each morning and afternoon; he said 432 vehicles enter the campus each day for drop‑off and pick‑up, with about 600 students dropped off and buses carrying about 350 students. Mayor Thomas said semitrailers hauling grain also pass the school on a downhill approach.

John Amhorn, chair of the Medford School Board, told the committee the entrances “sit right on the crest of that hill” and emphasized the safety concern for students and staff.

Representatives from MnDOT — Eric Rudin (Government Affairs) and Ken Johnson (assistant state traffic engineer) — explained the department’s speed‑study methodology. Johnson described changes to guidance that require engineers to consider contextual factors in addition to the 85th‑percentile (often described verbally as “80 fifth percentile”) when setting limits, including average speeds and the “10‑mile‑an‑hour pace” (the speed band representing the most drivers). He told the committee the average speed on the corridor was above 50 mph and that the department set a 55 mph regulatory limit reflecting observed prevailing speeds and concerns about speed differential among drivers.

Senators on the panel pressed MnDOT and county engineers for additional technical analysis. Senator Johnson Stewart asked whether the department had performed a gap analysis and sight‑distance calculations for left turns from the school driveways given the vertical curvature of the road. In response MnDOT staff described how sight‑distance and gap analysis inform decisions and said the corridor is a vertical curve where decision sight distance and driver expectations are key inputs. Johnson also said MnDOT would be open to a school‑zone speed limit and to testing a temporary or experimental speed limit at the location.

Senator Jasinski moved an oral amendment on the draft to change a numeric line (delete “35” and insert “30” on page 1, line 13). The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Committee members repeatedly noted frustration with a letter from the Minnesota County Engineers Association that defended the 55 mph designation; several senators said the letter did not reflect local safety concerns. The Steele County commissioner and county engineer were described as having deferred to MnDOT’s study; Medford officials said county votes or staff did not act on community requests. Several senators urged more direct county or local enforcement and traffic‑calming options such as rumble strips, signage, speed feedback displays, or geometric changes, and one senator cited a past local traffic‑calming project that included roundabouts.

On the record, the committee laid the bill over for further consideration; no final committee vote to change speed limits was recorded.

Why it matters: The dispute highlights tension between engineering‑based speed studies that rely on prevailing speeds and local leaders who say a school adjacent to a high‑speed segment requires a slower posted limit and additional traffic‑calming measures to protect children during arrival and dismissal.

Key numeric details provided by local officials: 14 buses use the entrance each morning and afternoon; 432 vehicles enter the campus daily for pick‑up/drop‑off; approximately 600 students are dropped off and buses transport about 350 students; roughly 100 staff use the second driveway. Those numbers were given by Mayor Danny Thomas during testimony.

Sources and provenance: Testimony by Mayor Danny Thomas, John Amhorn (school board chair), MnDOT officials Eric Rudin and Ken Johnson, and multiple senators (see provenance entries).