Hwy 52 — Hader to Zumbrota study

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Study area map Highway 52 from Hader to ZumbrotaView full-size mapWe are conducting a PEL, or Planning and Environmental Linkages, study of the Hwy 52. The study is examining the corridor between Hader and Zumbrota. The goal is to investigate what Hwy 52 may look like in the future. This includes potential changes and an analysis of the impacts each choice may have.

Specific elements considered include:

  • Safety
  • Manage access
  • Freight movement
  • Agricultural needs
  • Congestion
  • Economic development
  • Community needs

The input will help the project team determine community values. It will also help inform the team as they look into specific changes. This study is being done in partnership with Goodhue County.

Update June 2024

The Study Report is available for review in the Important Documents section.

Study area map Highway 52 from Hader to ZumbrotaView full-size mapWe are conducting a PEL, or Planning and Environmental Linkages, study of the Hwy 52. The study is examining the corridor between Hader and Zumbrota. The goal is to investigate what Hwy 52 may look like in the future. This includes potential changes and an analysis of the impacts each choice may have.

Specific elements considered include:

  • Safety
  • Manage access
  • Freight movement
  • Agricultural needs
  • Congestion
  • Economic development
  • Community needs

The input will help the project team determine community values. It will also help inform the team as they look into specific changes. This study is being done in partnership with Goodhue County.

Update June 2024

The Study Report is available for review in the Important Documents section.

  • Public meeting: June 21, 2023

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    Thank you to everyone who attended the public meeting on Wednesday, June 21. Attendees reviewed alternative designs created by the project team and provide input on how the alternatives meet their needs.

    People unable to attend the meeting were provided the opportunity to review the information on-line and provided their feedback through the on-line survey.

    Public meeting:

    Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023

    Time: 5-7 p.m.

    Location: Zumbrota VFW, 25 E 1st St., Zumbrota

    Over the past year, community members shared their experiences on Hwy 52 from Hader to Zumbrota. The project team has created seven design alternatives based on what we heard. People attending the meeting can provide input on how these alternatives meet their needs.

    The top four priorities that people felt were important to the future of Hwy 52 were:

    • Improving safety

    • Managing access and congestion

    • Addressing agricultural needs

    • Creating a vision for the future

    The input will help the project team further pinpoint community needs and develop specific changes to Hwy 52.

    People unable to attend the meeting will be able to review the information and provide comments through an on-line survey.

  • Spring 2023 Study Update

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  • 2022 Summary of Community Feedback

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    Thank you to those who gave feedback and helped us learn more in 2022.

    We asked community members about their experiences on Hwy 52 from Hader to Zumbrota. The team visited township boards, the Goodhue County Fair, and hosted a public meeting. We know that it can be hard to meet in-person and made options available on-line. The local paper, social media and other means were used to ask people to take part.

    Through your feedback, we’ve identified four key takeaways:


    Improve safety

    • People shared how hard it is to cross the highway and would like to see better crossings
    • Some would like acceleration/deceleration lanes to enter and exit the highway
    Manage access and congestion
    • A few indicated a desire or need for frontage roads, especially as access points are removed
    • “It will grow up” – referring to previous long-range planning activities, existing conditions near St. Paul south to Coates and Oronoco to Rochester, and recent improvements.
    Agricultural needs
    • Others also acknowledged while Hwy 52 is important, it is a divider. Some of the solutions are not simple, quick or even affordable to those who have to work on/around it.
    • We felt this statement represented the challenge expressed by many well. “Ideally, we want to stay ‘country’. However, progress continues and is driven by the big population centers on the ends (Twin Cities and Rochester). But our businesses and homes are split by that road; and you don’t just buy another farm- too much money."
    Vision for the future
    • People mentioned Hwy 52 as a freeway in the future
    • Several said continued growth in the Cannon Falls to Zumbrota area should remain a focus
    • Some visioned better access for farmers


    Goodhue County Fair, Aug. 13, 2022
    Hwy 52 social media ad
    Public Meeting at Zumbrota VFW, Sept. 13, 2022
    Public Meeting at Zumbrota VFW, Sept. 13, 2022





  • Public Meeting Sept. 13, 2022

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    Public meeting Tuesday, September 13, 2022

    Thank you to those who joined us for a public meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Over 35 people attended and provided their comments and feedback at the Zumbrota VFW. A summary of the comments and feedback heard will be provided soon.

    Individuals who were not able to attend can still provide their comments and feedback virtually. We invite people to participate in a survey and share about their experiences, concerns and thoughts on a comment map.


    The foreground is participation survey with the question "Hwy 52 is important to the local economy". In the background people sit, with the only the back of their heads in view, to listen to a man speaking about Hwy 52.Meeting participants listen to Dale Gade, SRF Consulting, speak about the goals of the study and how the community can help

    MnDOT invites and encourages participation by all. If you need an ASL, a foreign language interpreter, or other reasonable accommodation, or need documents in an alternative format (such as braille or large print), please email your request to Janet Miller at ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us or call 651-366-4720.

Page last updated: 27 Jun 2024, 12:12 PM