10/7/2014 10:14:43 AM
Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the acceleration of 13 more transportation projects in addition to the 14 prior to date. In 2014, Governor Dayton and the Legislature invested in the Corridors of Commerce initiative, which will be funding twelve of these plans. The final project - the expansion of Highway 371 to four lanes from Nisswa to Jenkins - was funded in part by $45 million in cost savings at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
"These projects will reduce travel times, improve safety for Minnesota citizens, and help our businesses transport their products more efficiently," said Governor Dayton, who working with the Legislature in 2013 and 2014 invested over $331 million in the new Corridors of Commerce initiative. "The number of projects from all over our state, which sought financing from this program, underscores the acute need for more transportation funding."
State savings through efficiencies will accelerate the Highway 371 expansion project by two years, which means that MnDOT will begin construction in 2016, two years earlier than planned. This was made possible with funding from new investments in the Corridors of Commerce initiative, as well as the cost savings. Altogether, 27 transportation projects have received Corridors of Commerce funding since November 2013.
"We have worked very hard to be efficient and effective in determining where the money will serve Minnesota best," said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle. "The $25 million will help advance selected projects to ensure they can be completed when additional funding becomes available. And the Highway 371 project will provide better roads for businesses in that corridor as well as for the many Minnesotans who travel to that area for recreation. Through our cost savings and efficiencies work, we are able to move that project ahead by two years."
Governor Dayton is optimistic that these projects will strengthen the state's transportation system by adding capacity and improving the movement of freight across Minnesota. The following is a list of projects that received the latest round of Corridors of Commerce funding today:
Greater Minnesota Projects
| Location
|
Project
|
Amount
|
| Hwy 14 and Hwy 15 intersection - New Ulm
|
Preliminary design work
|
$700,000
|
| I94 - St. Michael to Albertville
|
Design options for mobility
|
$1.4 million
|
| Hwy 11 - Greenbush to Warroad
|
Design passing lanes
|
$500,000
|
| Hwy 14 - Owatonna to Dodge Center
|
Purchase right of way for expansion
|
$7.3 million
|
| Hwy 23 - New London to Paynesville
|
Purchase right of way for expansion
|
$800,000
|
| Hwy 34 - Detroit Lakes to Becker CR 29
|
Mill and overlay
|
$1.8 million
|
| Hwy 371 - Nisswa to Jenkins
|
Expand to four lanes
|
$45 million
|
Twin Cities Metro Projects
| Location
|
Project
|
Amount
|
| Hwy 169 - Nine Mile Creek | Design work for bridge replacement
|
$1.5 million
|
| I-35W - Minnesota River crossing
|
Design work
|
$5.5 million
|
| I-35W - Northern suburbs
|
Design work for MnPASS system
|
$1.1 million
|
| Hwy 65 - Central Avenue
|
Design work for bridge deck replacement
|
$1 million
|
| I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul
|
Design work for new pavement, bridges and managed lanes
|
$2 million
|
| Snelling Avenue - St. Paul
|
Provide added funding for reconstruction project
|
$1.4 million
|
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