Hwy 43 — Winona

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Consider rerouting Hwy 43 traffic north on Mankato Avenue to Broadway Street, then go west on Broadway to Winona Street, then north on Winona Street to the bidge into Wisconsin. This eliminates all the twists and turns through town, and is 4 lane traffic most of the way. If that's not possible, then add left turn lanes at Hamilton Street in both directions. Lots of left turns here and traffic backs up, or passes on the right to get around the bottleneck. Don't install bump outs on Sarnia. Accident waiting to happen when pedestrians suddenly step out in front of parked cars. Also keep the lanes 12 feet wide, rather than narrowing to 11 feet for the sake of an unneeded bike lane. A semi is 102 inches wide. Only 18 inches of clearance on each side with that! At Sarnia & Main Street, eliminate the 4 way stop and install traffic signals with turn lanes. Forget about installing an idiotic roundabout there! Not enough room! Farther north on Main Street, between Broadway & 4th Street, keep the 4 lane portion of the road. Rather than eliminating it, how about overhead signage directing Hwy 43 users to stay in the left lane and keep the right lane for traffic going downtown or right turns onto Broadway, 5th, and 4th Streets. Keep the traffic signals at Broadway, 5th and 4th Streets. Putting roundabouts on Broadway & 4th Streets and eliminating the signal on 5th Street would be horrendous! It would be nearly impossible to cross Main Street if you're on 5th Street between 2 roundabouts.

Thank you for considering our concerns! As a resident of the neighborhood off of Sarnia and Main, my first preference would be to reroute this section of Hwy 43 entirely. A state highway feels wildly out of place so close to our historic and residential neighborhood, and I feel there has to be a more direct route with wider streets and fewer turns, pedestrians, and bicyclists for semi drivers to navigate. Would it not make more sense to take Mankato to Second street which is much wider and clearer than Sarnia, Main, and Fourth streets through downtown? I feel that to reroute could make it easier and safer for Winona State students to cross Main Street near campus and for folks to cross Sarnia to access East Lake Winona and the park.

As for the proposed changes to the Hwy 43 should it stay routed as is, my biggest concern is in regard to the possible roundabout at Main and Sarnia. This intersection sees SO much pedestrian and bike traffic. While the new roundabouts on Mankato Ave have been wonderful for getting traffic through in an efficient manner, I have observed that people do take the circles at a very fast clip. This leads me to fear that drivers will be flying past and through our neighborhood at a faster pace than they currently do, which would be dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists who drivers may or may not be looking for at that intersection. The current stop signs at least offer a pause to notice who is around.

Thank you again!

I support the proposed new sidewalk along the south side of Sarnia, but would like to see the following enhancements. The first is the sidewalk should be expanded to become a multipurpose trail able to support two-way bike traffic. If done, this would make it possible to eliminate the adjoining painted bike lanes.

I would also proposed considering removing parking along the south side of Sarnia from Main Street to Franklin and converting the area to multipurpose trail able to support two-way bike traffic as well. Ideally the new trail should be separated from traffic by some type of physical barrier like bollards or a small raised curb and gutter island.

Please note that this area is only lightly used for parking since there are fewer houses and most are set far back from the Highway. In addition there are several nearby side streets that provide alternative convenient places to park. So the parking loss would be minimal while the gain for bike riders would be substantial.

Assuming the three proposed roundabouts are built along Main Street (an idea I strongly support), please consider completing the process by also converting the Sarnia - Franklin intersection to a roundabout. As it stands, Sarnia-Franklin will remain the sole traffic light along Highway 43 except for the bridge intersection. This doesn't seem to make sense given that the intersection is being proposed to be expanded to include left turn lanes (which will likely cost just as much and would not increase safety). It seems it would be better to just install one more roundabout and be done. If this is not possible, I would propose removing the lights and converting it to a 4 way stop.

I agree that trucks should be re-routed from Sarnia and Main via Mankato/2nd St. and Pelzer/Riverview Dr. I support sidewalks along the south side of Sarnia. I don't think a roundabout is a good idea at Main and 5th. Lots of pedestrian traffic crossing there to the post office and Senior Center. The traffic light is safer.

I oppose a roundabout at the Main & Sarnia intersection, which is a primary gateway to Lake Park, heavily used by pedestrians. I think it would also impede traffic flow at that location.
The intersection is one block from the railroad tracks. With the four-way stop, north/south traffic going north waiting for the frequent trains stacks up on Main Street on the north side of Sarnia, sometimes continuing onto the south side of Sarnia. But there are turn lanes on Sarnia at Main. Traffic going east and west continues through the intersection, as travelers proceed to their destinations or divert to a different crossing on Huff, Franklin, Hamilton or Mankato.
If vehicles stack up a traffic circle, then traffic is stopped, sometimes for more than 15 minutes, going north, south, east and west.
The four-way stop works just fine. Leave it like it is.
Bruce Johnson

Making the entire length of main street two lanes makes a lot of sense. Right now there is a painted bike lane (bike gutter) which abruptly ends when main street becomes four lanes.

Consider this as a connector from Lake Winona to the Flyway Trail and downtown for all forms of transit. This isn't a narrow road. Separated bike lanes would be ideal (not just paint). It is difficult to approach from Huff Street as the "bike lane" on Huff ends several blocks before 4th Street and are non-existent on 4th. Let's make the approach from the east better.

If signals are retained, let's put in smarter signals. Why does a car need to sit at a red light when there is no traffic? Why do pedestrians need to wait or press a "beg button"? Traffic lights can automatically change to green if no one is approaching from the opposite direction. Eliminate turn on red (turn on red intersections have 69% more pedestrian accidents!!). Put in signals which sense motorcycles and bicycles unlike the signals mndot installed at Hwy 61 and Huff. Give pedestrians priority over cars in DT areas. Paint and "beg buttons" isn't enough for pedestrian or bicycle safety. Any traffic calming and separation would be an improvement.

The roundabouts on the East End are great - no more waiting at red lights. I am not sure if they make sense downtown where there wouldn't be room for a two lane circle, and they didn't help pedestrian and bicycle safety. The east end is worse now that cars are not expecting to stop.

Years ago, it may have made sense to bring truck traffic down the current route. Moving interstate traffic to Mankato and 2nd Street seems to be more logical. I disagree with improving the current route without exploring other options.

Has anyone considered rerouting Hwy43 to go from HWY61 to Pelzer St to RiverView Dr and on to the Interstate bridge? There is a railroad overpass on Pelzer which is a huge benefit. It would keep the truck traffic out of downtown. Small roundabouts and a 4 way stop at 4th street seem problematic for truck traffic.

I've spent countless hours scouring the mankato section of 43 looking for all the deceased, and wounded drivers and pedestrians we expected once roundabouts were mentioned. Haven't found even one. Either the government got better at hiding bodies and keeping it quiet, or roundabouts just aren't so bad. The traffic needs to slow down and be more diligent through this corridor. Vehicles are not the only users of the space. A redesign that recognizes these points is more than welcome.

I live in the neighborhood of the Main & Sarnia Street intersection & have used that intersection multiple times a day without delay, except for the traffic backup due to trains, for almost 64 years. I believe that the 4-way stop makes it an extremely safe intersection for ALL users. The only way to improve that intersection is to eliminate the truck traffic by rerouting trucks to Mankato Avenue. In my opinion, a roundabout at Main & Sarnia would be a serious waste of taxpayer dollars!

A roundabout at Main and Sarnia is not necessary. The only time traffic is backed up is when a train is causing the traffic to stop. While the intersection at Main and Sarnia has caused some accidents ( northbound right turns by trucks and cars) a roundabout isn’t worth losing more housing. Winona State already has gobbled up the houses on the west side of Main, and that should be enough. ( I say this as a person whose bread and butter was from WSU for many years.) And as someone who walks that route nearly everyday, I’ve never had a problem crossing at the intersection, but I anticipate more difficulty if traffic never has to actually stop. I’ve also never understood why Sarnia is also Highway 43. It’s only 2 lanes, and to me it makes more sense for trucks to travel to 6th on Mankato, then turn left, since 6th St. has 4 lanes.

The roundabout lanes on Mankato are not wide enough for trucks as it is, and I can’t imagine that they would be any wider at Main and Sarnia, at Main and 6th St., or Main and 4th. I’ve seen trucks drive over the center of the roundabout at Gilmore and Highway 61—the plans for these roundabouts did not seem to take into consideration the amount of truck traffic that they bear.

Please do not put a roundabout at Sarnia & Main Streets. This direct route on Main Street is the gateway to and from Lake Park, and is used constantly by pedestrians of all ages, and bicyclists. The stop signs are very important.

I'm a young father who lives on Sarnia St. a couple blocks away from the Main/Sarnia intersection, and I regularly walk along Main St to get downtown. It being a busy road with regular heavy truck traffic, I understand peoples trepidation in putting in a roundabout. As I see it, the main problem isn't the amount of traffic on the road, it's the speed of the traffic.

I often wait at the stoplights on Main St for a full cycle without any cars coming in the opposite direction, then watch people run a red light so they don't have to wait. Roundabouts would make traffic flow more easily, not less. In my experience flashing pedestrian lights are just a Band-Aid, and they don't address the problem of cars driving 10+ mph over the speed limit along the road. Roundabouts would ensure everyone has to slow down at each intersection instead of blowing through them to catch a yellow light.

In general, I'm all for any reconstruction that helps turn Main St into less of a drag strip, and more of an entrance into our beautiful downtown.

Please do not put a roundabout at Sarnia & Main Streets. This direct route on Main Street is the gateway to and from Lake Park, and is used constantly by pedestrians of all ages, and bicyclists. The stop signs are very important.

I support the proposed roundabouts, curb bump-outs, and bike lane striping. If more traffic calming can be added, I would support that too. I live in the Main/Sarnia neighborhood area, and I bike to work in downtown Winona along Main St. I think the proposed changes would reduce speeding and red-light running and loud-engine showboating that currently reduce quality of life for neighbors and other road users. It would be great to have beautification included as a local add-on, such as flowers or statues in the center of roundabouts, consistent lighting, and trees in median areas, something that really establishes that this is a street, not a stroad, and the people who live here matter. Change can feel scary, and I think it's important to have co-design conversations and help people understand why changes are proposed, and how they can actually benefit from a better street design.

The intersection of 4th and Main is not appropriate for a roundabout. It it too small and there is already an issue with trucks making the turn. Additionally, there is no parking and the traffic coming out of the McDonald's drive through would create hazard with people coming through the roundabout. The sheer volume of traffic in this small area creates a hazard for any roundabout. Main Square has a lot of business and the pedestrian traffic in downtown Winona, especially when college is in session creates additional issues with a roundabout at this intersection.

The trucks routed through Sarnia and Main create long backups. It's too small of a turn for many truck to make without crossing into other lanes. I would also caution against a roundabout at that intersection due to pedestrian traffic from the University to the lake. I frequently see no stops or cars running the intersection. I'd expect a roundabout to decrease pedestrian safety at that intersection. If pedestrian lights are added to the intersection and trucks are rerouted elsewhere I believe that would ease traffic and improve pedestrian safety.

Noticed the timing for this project to start, and 2028 is a long way off. Some things need to start NOW! To be clear, the pedestrian crossings on Sarnia need the flashing lights and re-striping now, not in five years. I am 63 years old, and have had numerous incidents of rude drivers who refuse to stop, let alone slow down. This project needs to have certain components acted upon this year before someone gets severely injured or killed.

The two crossings on Sarnia that are the worst for pedestrians are at Carimona and Hamilton. At Carimona, which is next to Lakeview Drive In, it gets particularly congested. Also, it should be illegal to park your vehicle on Sarnia overnight. That in itself reduces visibility for those who are trying to cross the road.

The other thing to point out is those two crossings fall under a MN statute as extensions of a multipurpose trail system. Which broadly states: Trail connections which cross roads that connect to a multipurpose trail are noted in this law. Whether you are a pedestrian or on a bicycle or scooter, once you have started crossing the street at a particular crossing, vehicles are supposed to yield. That is the problem, vehicles DO NOT YIELD. There was an older couple last night that was half way across, and I watched in disbelief and the cars continued to speed on by them. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! Please act now.