In 2008, communities and counties along the US-169 corridor, from Mankato in Blue Earth County to Bloomington and Edina in Hennepin County, began a series of meetings to bring attention to corridor needs. In the spring of 2009, the U.S. Highway 169 Corridor Coalition was officially established to advocate for the corridor. From Mankato to Interstate 694, the U.S. Highway 169 (US-169) corridor play
s a key role in moving goods produced in south-central and southwestern Minnesota to regional and international markets. This major freight route accesses principal highways, rail lines and the largest intermodal inland waterway grain facility in the upper Midwest (the Ports of Savage). In the last two decades, this highway has also grown in importance as a commuter corridor. For US-169 to remain a viable, efficient conduit in the movement of goods and people, corridor congestion corridor must be successfully addressed. Increases in traffic have resulted in longer, more hazardous travel times. This, in turn, has a negative effect on the corridor’s ability to connect with other parts of the state and the region, as well as to national and international markets. Maintaining the viability and efficiency of the corridor mandates a long-term commitment to a series of improvements designed to enhance the flow of traffic—both commuter and commercial—along this increasingly congested highway system.
