Itasca Co. Highway 169 Task Force Honored for Work to Reduce Traffic Deaths

Credit: Minnesota State Patrol

The Itasca County Sheriff’s Office and the Itasca County Safe Roads Coalition have been honored for their work to reduce traffic deaths with a Toward Zero Deaths Traffic Safety Innovation Award.

The state of Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths program presented awards in Prior Lake last week to traffic safety advocates and law enforcement officers for working to reduce deaths on state roadways.

After suffering 10 fatal crashes in their community since June 2019, traffic safety stakeholders came together to form the Itasca County Highway 169 Task Force. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, through the 169 Safe Road Campaign, troopers and deputies made more than 5,000 traffic stops over the past year and shared safety messages with drivers.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation assisted by studying this stretch of road to look at how crashes were happening and what improvements can be made. The result, the State Patrol says, is a dramatic reduction in deaths on Highway 169 between Grand Rapids and Keewatin.

Seven other individuals and a high school were honored for their outstanding work to reduce the number of life-changing crashes on Minnesota roads and also received awards from the Toward Zero Deaths campaign.