Congressman Brad Finstad has announced the allocation of $2 million in federal funding for transportation infrastructure improvements in Olmsted County, Minnesota. The funds will be used to support the construction of interchanges at County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 3 and U.S. Highway 14, as well as CSAH 5 and U.S. Highway 14.
The funding is part of H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, which included a Community Project Funding request submitted by Finstad. Senators Klobuchar and Smith voted against the legislation.
The planned project aims to enhance safety along U.S. Highway 14 in Byron by replacing several ground-level intersections and a railroad crossing with new interchanges. At present, traffic signals control intersections between Highway 14 and CSAH 3, 10th Avenue, and CSAH 5, while the highway crosses railroad tracks at grade level—conditions that increase crash risk and congestion. The new funding will go toward environmental review and design for two proposed interchanges to improve traffic flow on this regional route.
“I am proud to have secured federal funding for this important project in Olmsted County,” said Rep. Finstad. “In southern Minnesota, Highway 14 serves as one of the primary routes that connects us to family, friends, work, and school. This federal investment will help lay the groundwork for the beginning stages of two proposed interchanges, which will result in safer, more efficient travel along Highway 14 in Olmsted County.”
Brad Finstad has represented Minnesota’s 1st district in Congress since replacing Jim Hagedorn in 2022 (https://finstad.house.gov/about). Before serving in Congress, he was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009 (https://www.congress.gov/member/brad-finstad/F000484). Born in New Ulm in 1976, Finstad continues to reside there at age forty-six (https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/F000484). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota.
