Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee Meeting Date: January 21, 2026
To: Members of the Northfield Transportation Advisory Committee
From: David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Discuss Next Steps Related to Turnback of Trunk Highway 246 from County Road 1 to Trunk Highway 3 from MnDOT to the City of Northfield.
Body
Action Requested:
NTAC Discusses Next Steps related to the Turnback of Trunk Highway 246 from County Road 1 to Trunk Highway 3 from MnDOT to the City of Northfield.
Summary Report:
In May of 2025, the State Legislature authorized the turnback of Trunk Highway 246 from County Road 1 to Trunk Highway 3 from MnDOT to the City of Northfield. MnDOT is currently preparing the turnback agreement. It is anticipated, the draft agreement will be complete late January 2026, and Council will consider approval in March.
Once the turnback agreement is approved, staff will begin preparing for design and project phasing. The City has an active grant for the Roundabout at County Road 1 and TH 246. This grant would help fund three of the four intersection legs that aren't funded in the turnback. This is a 2030 grant.
The anticipated project schedule once the turnback agreement is approved is below, some portions of the project may advance earlier if right-of-way acquisition isn't necessary:
Design Summer/Fall 2026 - Fall 2027
Right-of-Way Acquisition 2028
Construction 2029/2030
Background Information:
MnDOT and Rice County had been in discussions to consider a potential turnback of TH 246 dating back to at least 2018. In 2021, Rice County informed the City of Northfield that they were considering the potential turnback of TH 246 in Rice County. To respond to this, the City of Northfield initiated a Corridor Study to determine the future vision for the corridor from County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1/County Road 81 to TH 3 to help understand the needs along this segment.
In December of 2022, the City h...
Click here for full text