Lawmakers Seek $15 Million For Highway 12 Safety Upgrades
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- There was some emotional testimony in the State Senate on Monday from families of people who have been killed on Highway 12 in the western Twin Cities suburbs.
Area lawmakers are asking for $15 million for emergency safety upgrades for the deadly stretch of road.
It was very hard to watch Monday as families of those killed in crashes pleaded with state lawmakers to fix their highway.
In the last 60 months, 22 people have died on a narrow 8-mile stretch of highway 12 through Independence, Maple Plain, Orono and Long Lake. That's more than double the state average for similar stretches of road.
Local police showed lawmakers many images of the dead. And family members spoke of grief and unnecessary loss, including the widow of Paul Dahlstrom.
"When asked how this accident has affected our lives, I struggle to find the words to describe the depth of the pain our family is going through. My heart broke the day Paul died. But it shattered the day I had to tell our kids that their dad wasn't coming home," Lisa Dahlstrom of St. Michael said.
The stretch of highway is unusually narrow. It was first built in 1930 and upgraded in 1950. There has been little done since then, despite major growth in population.
Lawmakers are asking for $15 million for safety improvements, including a concrete median down the middle of the road so people can't cross over into the oncoming lane. And safety upgrades at two dangerous intersections, including turn lanes.
