Rumble strip requirement gets hearing in House transportation committee

Kadin Huntley was riding with his brother on an unfamiliar road in Renville County in August 2022 when they missed a stop sign, went through an intersection, and their vehicle was struck by an SUV.

Huntley later died from his injuries. He was 19.

The crash was the fifth fatal accident at that crossing in nine years. The intersection of County Road 4 and County Road 1 lacked a proven safety feature, Huntley’s father, Todd Croy, told the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee Tuesday.

Rumble strips were installed eight days later.

“Eight days too late for him, my family or the many others who lost their lives or suffered injuries there,” Croy said. “Rumble strips are more than a physical feature on our roads; they are a lifeline.”

The safety measure alerting drivers through sound and feel to an upcoming stop sign would be required on state highways under HF4374, which the committee laid over.

The bill would require the Department of Transportation to install rumble strips on state highways by Aug. 1, 2034, or when there is substantial work on the road. Rumble strips can take the form of grooves in the pavement or raised bumps atop it.

Knowing this is not a budget year and there isn’t money to allocate to counties, the bill only covers state highways, but this is the first step in requiring more of an important safety measure, said Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee), the bill sponsor.

There are 300 places where state roads with speeds of 55 mph or higher approach stop signs. About 150 intersections would need to have rumble strips installed, costing $10,000 per intersection, according to a fiscal note. Most last as long as the pavement around them, but about 25% need to be reinstalled before the road needs repairs.