OTC installs additional lights at intersections, curves

Photo by Dan Broten
New lights have been installed at several intersections across Otter Tail County this summer and fall. The project was part of a road safety project spearheaded by Otter Tail County. These lights are located near the County Road 65 and Highway 210 intersection near Henning.

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Several roads and intersections are getting a little brighter in Otter Tail County—and it isn’t just due to the never ending sight of colorful Christmas lights. Recently, 14 intersections in Otter Tail County received new lighting to help motorists and pedestrians navigate busy intersections throughout Otter Tail County’s massive collection of highway and county roads. 

According to Craig Tschida, of the Otter Tail County Highway Department, the roads were determined to be some of the more dangerous intersections in the county that did not already have lights at the intersections. Several of the intersections are located in the eastern party of the county and include two intersections each in Henning, Deer Creek and Ottertail. Tschida said the lights were placed at both intersections and curves throughout the county. 

In order to help fund the project the county sought federal grant dollars to install the lights. The process takes quite a bit of time as the county applied for federal grant funding for the lights almost four years ago. There are currently 1,062 miles of paved roads in the county, which is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. 

“We came up with a project, we applied for federal funding, and once it was granted we put the contract together,” said Tschida.

One such intersection was located on County Road 65 (Marshall Ave.) and Highway 210 in Henning. Tschida said this intersection in particular had six crashes over the past 5-10 years and was identified as the ninth most dangerous intersection in the county that did not already have a light or safety feature.

  Tschida said installing a light at dangerous intersections and curves is a simple step the county can take to help reduce crashes on the highways.

“It’s not a lot, but if we can reduce the crashes with a simple street light, we are willing to take that step,” he said. 

A second light was also installed in Henning at the intersection of Marshall Ave. and County Road 67 (Inman St.), which is just around the corner from the light on Highway 210 and Marshall Ave. 

Other local lights that were recently installed include two near Deer Creek, including County Road 50 and Highway 29, as well as County Road 52 and Highway 29; two near Ottertail at County Road 1 and Highway 78, as well as County Road 55 and Highway 108 (Main St.) and another light located at the intersection of County Road 136 and Highway 29 north of Parkers Prairie.