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Freeborn County was not selected to receive funds through the Corridors of Commerce program for a new interchange on Interstate 90 at Freeborn County Road 20, according to the county’s highway engineer.

Phil Wacholz said Thursday the county found out its application was not awarded earlier this month.

The Corridors of Commerce program, which is used to facilitate economic development across the state, utilizes money set aside specifically by the Legislature and administered through the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“We had our hopes very high,” Wacholz said. “Grant opportunities like these seemed to be really geared toward a project like ours. We’re disappointed that we weren’t selected, but the reality is the state saw other higher priorities around the state that would impact a larger number of users.”

The community has considered the I-90 interchange on the road, also known as Bath Road, a few other times over the past 30 years. The design being considered is called a partial folded diamond design.

Officials have said the added interchange could reduce congestion at the Bridge Avenue exit on I-90, increase access to the interstate for agricultural traffic as well as existing businesses on Plaza Street and increase development potential of the surrounding land area.

Wacholz said it appears awards went to communities with much higher traffic numbers and overall use.

The Freeborn County project would have been likely between $6 million and $10 million, while one project that was awarded was $10 million, and others were $30 million, $40 million and even upwards of $80 million, he said.

Moving forward, Wacholz said the county board, likely in partnership with the city of Albert Lea, will look at options to advance the project through other means.

Initially, the county will need to get an interstate access permit through the Federal Highway Administration, in which the county will have to show the opportunity for development, that the benefits of the new interchange would outweigh the risks and that the project would benefit the community and interstate, he said.

Interstate 90 in that area presently has just under 9,000 users a day and would be projected to increase between 500 and 1,500 daily, depending on how the area develops.

He noted that any effort to advance the project will require the input of local funds. The county will likely need to work with the city of Albert Lea on the project.

To get the permit would require engineering work and an environmental study, and the county would need to acquire right-of-way.

“All of those require funding,” he said. “We’re going to have to find a balance between advancing the project responsibly and making bold investments toward what the future economics look like,” Wacholz said.