District 8 partners with landowners to improve road conditions on Highway 67 west of Granite Falls

Local landowners Aaron and Traci Fagen have partnered with MnDOT District 8 to improve road conditions by agreeing to allow MnDOT to build an 8 foot tall structural snow fence. This snow fence stands in the field year round and provides continual blowing snow control protection over the entire 15 year agreement life with the option to be renewed after 15 years upon mutual consent between the landowner and MnDOT.

District 8 employees located in the Granite Falls Truck Station have long identified the stretch along Highway 67 as a problem area with blowing and drifting snow.

The curve on Highway 67 west of Granite Falls near Clarkfield has proved to be difficult to maintain and that’s why MnDOT staff approached Aaron and Traci Fagen about partnering on a permanent snow fence. The snow fence is 1,500 feet or approximately ¼ of a mile in length and is 250 feet from the road.

It is the 1st woven fence in Minnesota as well as North America. Once the end posts were cemented into the ground it took about 1 week for MnDOT employees Kurt Oellien and Jeff Baker to complete the installation. The cost of the fence was $57,000.

Aaron and Traci Fagen commented that “We are pleased to have played a part in helping to improve the road and driving conditions at this location of Highway 67 with the addition of the snow fence on our land to defer blowing snow during the winter months”. MnDOT District 8 worked closed with the Living Snow Fence Coordinator, Dan Gullickson to make the project a reality.

For more information on the project please contact Craig Gertsema, District 8, at 507-537-2059 or Dan Gullickson, Living Snow Fence Coordinator at 651-366.361.

For more information on how MnDOT controls blowing and drifting snow visit www.dot.state.mn.us/environment/livingsnowfence/index.html. For updated road condition information, call 511 or visit www.511mn.org.