The Worthington City Council and Nobles County Board of Commissioners met jointly Thursday morning and received an update from Nobles County Engineer and Public Works Director Aaron Holmbeck about a Minnesota Department of Transportation speed study conducted along Crailsheim Road.
The study was done as a result of extensive concern about traffic along Crailsheim Road, especially its intersection with Oxford Street near Worthington Middle School. Traffic only figures to increase on the road – also known as County Highway 10 – as not only is the Worthington Learning Center located off it, but also the just-opened Intermediate School and the Community Education building, which is expected to open next spring.
The study’s findings, however, proved disappointing to both city council members and county commissioners. While the study did justify putting up a new speed zone in the Fox Farm Road area, elected officials felt its conclusions fell fall short in addressing safety concerns.
Holmbeck said Thursday that he was surprised by the study’s outcome and added that it was performed prior to the start of the school year without accounting for school-related traffic. He now hopes that MnDOT will conduct a second speed study, but it may not happen until late in the year due to current scheduling.
Ultimately, both the city council and county board voted unanimously to adopt resolutions expressing their displeasure with the first study that they plan to forward to MnDOT and state legislators. Should a second study be done that also meets with dissatisfaction, it’s possible that another study could
be done independently by hiring another engineer on contract.
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