MnDOT Holds Open House for Baxter Highway 371/210 Project Plans

The Minnesota Department of Transportation held a public meeting on Tuesday to detail the potential changes coming to the Highway 371/210 intersection in Baxter.

According to MnDOT, during a four-year study of the intersection from 2019 to 2023, there were 525 accidents in and around the cross streets. To help improve safety on the roadways, MnDOT is proposing to utilize “buttonhooks,” roadways similar to roundabouts, in that area in the future.

“We’re certainly seeing congestion,” said Eric Schiller, a project manager with MnDOT. “We’re pushing 49,000 vehicles through that intersection a day and up to 60,000 through the intersection on peak weekends. So that intersection is just breaking down as we study it into the future years.”

Construction is not imminent in the area, as planning and design is expected to continue through 2027 and construction would not start until 2028. More information on the project can be found on the MnDOT website.