Business leaders and local government officials from around the area were in St. Paul on Wednesday to testify on the need to expand Highway 14 to 4 lanes. Waseca Mayor and former Highway 14 Partnership President Roy Srp says that in his 20 years of public service he has never seen a situation that connected more mayors, city councils, city managers, county commissioners, and local residents at the Capitol, and that it is a very important issue. He was one of the dozens of local residents that testified in a Senate committee to call for the expansion of the highway from New Ulm to Mankato and Owatonna to Dodge Center. A bill is being considered that would mandate that the Highway 14 expansion be included in Mn/DOT’s 20-year plan until the work is completed, and another that designates the funding for the projects.