Highway 34 four the Future

Presentation

The completion of Highway 34 as a four-lane road east of Madison to Interstate 29 is being sought for safety of the public and to accommodate the growing population and ever increasing traffic counts of the area. The city of Madison by resolution is supporting the four-lane road. It is currently four lanes from Madison three miles east, leaving only 14 miles to be completed.

Studies show this portion of Highway 34 carries a huge traffic load as compared to other state roadways. The current traffic count at the Wentworth corner east of Madison is higher than on the four-lane highway recently completed between Pierre and I-90. Safety is one of the main reasons for this needed expansion. Dakota Ethanol has over 20,000 semi-trucks delivering corn to their plant each year. This is a large number of trucks traveling on a single-lane, heavily trafficked state highway.

Both the Lake County and Moody County commissions agree and have passed corridor preservation ordinances. The Lake Madison Development Association and Lake Brandt Association which consists of homeowners around Lake Madison have supported the project by resolution. The Lake Madison area is home to hundreds of new people each year and as the population grows around the lakes area, so does the highway traffic count. In Madison, a huge fertilizer plant brings in product by unit train and distributes them out by semi-trucks, increasing the traffic on Highway 34. The city of Colman is also developing land along Highway 34 for commercial and industrial use and land near the Colman golf course for residential homes.

To make this project a reality, help is needed from the Department of Transportation in Pierre and our delegation in Washington. Your help is also needed! Send a letter or email of support to your members of Congress. This is an important and highly needed project. Your help is greatly appreciated!

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