Highway M, Minnesota
HEV Course 304 Case Study
Highway M is a 4-lane highway that connects Meadow Springs and Redtree. MnDOT has
proposed improvement of Highway M to reconstruct it and improve it to a rural highway.
MnDOT has realized its extent and has decided to undertake Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS). The project has two segments- first segment is an extension of the 4-lane divided
expressway from Sabin to Davis Center and the second segment is from Highway S to Highway
T in Oakville. Several alternatives were determined through a scoping process and then
analyzed and documented in a draft EIS. After the publication of the draft EIS, a public hearing
was held and public and agency comments were received.
MnDOT has worked with public and various local, state and federal agencies to determine
various alternatives for the project during the development of Highway M scoping document.
Some “Scoping” alternatives were dismissed from further study based on public input,
environmental considerations, consistency with local land use plans, and consistency with
MnDOT’s performance goals and design guidelines. The alternatives were shared with a wide
audience—including the public and representatives from agencies and local communities— to
determine which alternatives to carry forward into detailed environmental review in the EIS.
City of Willow is at the center of the areas affected by this project. Therefore MnDOT decided
to hold most of the public meetings in Willow. Citizens of Willow were enthusiastic to attend
the meeting because a traffic study has shown that the improvement of Highway M will
increase the traffic in that region comparing to the surrounding region. Letters were sent out to
the people living in Meadow Springs, Redtree, Sabin, Davis Center, Oakville and other adjacent
towns. Newsletters and news releases were sent out to the entire corridor. But only a few
people from other areas showed up in the meetings held in Willow. But after some time, other
towns began to realize the project will affect them similarly as well. This has led to outcry in the
later public meetings.
MnDOT has identified that the City of Meadow Springs has a primarily low-income
neighborhood that is going to be affected by the project. Although newsletters and news
releases were sent to residents in the neighborhood, no one from that area has attended any
public meeting. A similar neighborhood that will be affected by the project in Davis Center was
also identified, and residents from that neighborhood have not attended the public meetings,
either.
Discussion Questions1. Who is the decision maker in this case? What is his/her objective?
2. In your opinion, why are so few citizens of other towns attending the public meetings?
3. What would you do to involve the lower income public of Meadow Springs and Davis Center?
4. What techniques other than the public meeting could be used for public engagement in this
project?