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Stewartville council approves MnDOT partnership for Highway 63/Schuman Drive signal project with $379,287 city commitment
Summary
The council authorized a partnership with MnDOT for near-term traffic-signal improvements and planning toward a future roundabout at Highway 63 and Schuman Drive. Total project cost was stated as $1,376,257 with $997,000 requested from the state and a city commitment of $379,287 if full state funding is not awarded.
The Stewartville City Council voted to authorize the mayor and city administrator to enter a partnership agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation for improvements at the Highway 63 and Schuman Drive intersection.
City staff told the council the total project cost is $1,376,257, with the city seeking $997,000 in state grant funding and proposing a local commitment of $379,287 if the state award is not fully granted. Mayor Jimmy John McCain introduced the item and invited discussion of short-term signal work and long-term planning.
Council members discussed the project timeline and tradeoffs between installing a short-term traffic signal and programming a future roundabout. A council member noted an earlier EDA commitment years ago to contribute toward traffic improvements and asked whether the city’s current share would be substantially greater than that earlier commitment.
City Engineer Jenny said the agreement would program the improvement and that MnDOT’s district staff had been involved in local meetings; she and staff said the earliest programming target for near-term signal work would be August 2026, with longer-term roundabout design and construction potentially many years later and dependent on funding and development triggers.
During discussion council members also raised concerns about safety and driver behavior around signals in high-speed areas; staff said the near-term plan would include advance warning elements intended to reduce crash risk while the signal is in place.
Mayor McCain moved to authorize the mayor and city administrator to enter the MnDOT partnership agreement; the motion was seconded and carried with voices saying "aye." The council recorded no named dissent in the meeting transcript.
Next steps include finalizing and signing the partnership agreement and proceeding with grant award requests and project programming with MnDOT.
