MnDOT to study lighting deactivation at Highway 68 and Blue Earth County Road 45 near Courtland

MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation will evaluate the potential removal of the intersection lighting at Highway 68 and Blue Earth County Road 45 near Courtland.

Installed in 1991, the system has reached the end of its useful life and needs replacement. In a fiscally constrained environment with numerous competing needs, neither MnDOT nor Blue Earth County can sustain the system were it to be replaced.

The intersection doesn’t meet MnDOT’s criteria established for at-grade intersection lighting and has maintained a strong safety record: zero fatal or serious injury crashes and six minor incidents from 2015–2024, with none to date in 2025.

MnDOT will launch a six-month deactivation study the week of November 10, 2025, during which time the lighting system will be turned off. MnDOT will evaluate the intersection’s operations and will monitor crash data for any safety impacts. If the study shows no significant operational or safety impacts, MnDOT will proceed with removal of the lighting system.

Comments from the public during the deactivation study are welcome and can be made by calling MnDOT at 507-304-6100.

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