Copy shortlink: It's not often that communities welcome the start of road construction and the traffic disruption it brings, but that's the case on a dangerous corridor in western Hennepin County. The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Tuesday began work on a center median wall on Hwy. 12 to reduce head-on collisions that have too often resulted in fatalities. MnDOT is also putting in a roundabout to make it easier for drivers to get on and off the winding two-lane highway through Orono, Maple Plain and Independence that many in the area have dubbed the "Corridor of Death." "This is a happy event," said Tina Langhans, who lost her daughter in a head-on crash on Hwy. 12 six years ago and has been pushing for safety improvements since. "For me, it brings closure. It's one of the best improvements that can be done."