The Highway 14 Partnership on Friday made a direct appeal to Governor Dayton to ensure that the four-lane expansion of the highway from Mankato to New Ulm is part of Mn/DOT’s 20-year Plan. A press conference held in North Mankato was attended by mayors from Partnership cities, including New Ulm Mayor Bob Beussman. Area business owners as well a victim of the dangerous stretch of road were also on hand. A draft of Mn/DOT’s 20-year plan is scheduled to be released in October, with the final plan then expected to be completed next January. The four-lane expansion of the 22-mile stretch of Highway 14 from North Mankato to New Ulm is projected to cost more than $300-million. In the last 5 years that stretch has seen a total of 220 crashes, seven of them fatal.