WINONA, Minn. – The City Council voted 5-2 to consent for the state Transportation Department to proceed with construction plans for four roundabouts on the Mankato Avenue thoroughfare. The roundabouts would be at:

> U.S. Highway 61.

> Riverbend Road, at the hospital and Target.

> Parks Avenue, at the hospital and the east end of Lake Winona.

> Sarnia Street.

Council member Paul Schollmeier, who voted against the roundabouts, had doubts whether a roundabout on U.S. Highway 61 could help pedestrian safety. Traffic on 61 is moving at 55 mph, he noted. Council member Al Thurley, whose First Ward includes almost the entire length of Mankato Avenue, also voted against the roundabouts. Mayor Mark Peterson saw the pedestrian issue differently and voted with the najority.

North at top. Aqua dots mark roudabout sites. Image: State Department of Transportation.
Changing traffic patterns

The proposal originated with the state, whose Highway 43 uses Mankato Avenue as a route to downtown Winona and on to the bridge over the Mississippi River to Wisconsin. Accidents have swelled on Mankato with the growth of the retail district along Mankato, including Target, Walmart and Menards and dozens of strip mall shops. Even with stop lights, pedestrian activity also has become more problematic.