Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

State awards $18 million in grants for transportation projects in seven communities

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Employment and Economic Development, has awarded $18 million in grants for seven state highway projects that will support growing industry and businesses, leverage private funding and improve the transportation system for all users.

Three projects in the Twin Cities metro area and four projects in Greater Minnesota will receive a total of $18,197,450 as part of the state’s Transportation Economic Development Program.

“Projects proposed under the TED program offer us an important opportunity to collaborate with our local partners and DEED to help enhance transportation and economic outcomes in Minnesota,” said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle. “Those projects selected under this competitive program best demonstrated local government’s willingness to invest in the transportation system and the private sector partners’ commitment to job creation.”

“One of Minnesota’s strongest assets when it comes to economic development is its world-class infrastructure,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “This program is a tool that allows Minnesota to maintain its high-quality roads, bridges, and highways, in order to attract new businesses and talented workers.”

This year’s TED funds help leverage other federal, state, local and private funding for a total construction program of $130 million.

Twin Cities area projects

• Anoka County ($5 million) – The Highway 10/Highway 169 improvement project in the city of Anoka will address safety and mobility issues. The highway currently experiences long back-ups and more than 100 crashes per year. The project will reduce corridor delays by 75 percent by eliminating all at-grade access points and signals. It also will result in a 57 percent reduction in crashes, enhancing the safety, reliability and efficiency of the movement of people, goods and services. Total project cost is $82,920,000.

• Brooklyn Park ($10 million) – The US Highway 169 / 101st Avenue North interchange project will enhance traffic operations, improve roadway safety, and provide bicycle and pedestrian facilities for a segment of 101st Avenue North between Jefferson Highway and future Xylon Avenue. The project is near the Target Northern Campus, which currently employs 4,000 people and is expected to expand to 7,000 employees. Target has agreed to contribute a portion of the project cost, and DEED is contributing $1.5 million. Total project cost is $37 million.

• Carver County ($1.5 million) – The project will reconstruct the County State Aid Highway 18 (Lyman Boulevard) and Highway 41 intersection in Chaska, which is currently controlled by a temporary traffic signal. The proposed project will install a roundabout to allow freight, passenger vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to pass through safely. This improvement is needed because the current intersection is over-burdened, unsafe, and traffic volumes will continue to grow as adjacent industrial vacant land is fully developed and nearby businesses expand and hire new employees. Total project cost is $4.1 million.

Greater Minnesota projects

• Pennington County ($1 million) – This project will construct a roundabout at Highway 32 and County State Aid Highway 16 in Thief River Falls that will allow faster truck transportation to Digi-Key and Artic Cat. DEED is also contributing $1 million to the extension of the County State Aid Highway 16 project. Total project cost is $5,770,000.

• Dodge County ($135,450) – This project provides for a bypass lane for southbound traffic and a right-hand turn lane for northbound traffic on Highway 56, about 1.5 miles south of the intersection with Highway 14 in Dodge Center. Access to Con-Tech Manufacturing will be improved and may result in the ability to add positions to their operation. Total project cost is $193,500.

• Duluth ($247,000) – This project, located at Grand Avenue (Highway 23) and Warwick Street, includes the design and installation of a new traffic signal at the base of the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area. The city of Duluth and St. Louis County have secured funding for the right of way acquisition and construction of a new city street, Kayak Bay Road. This future street will create a new four-way intersection on Highway 23. This project will ensure vehicle and pedestrian safety as the planned development and existing recreational amenities increase traffic at the intersection. Total project cost is $354,000.

• Kittson County ($315,000) – This project will install a turning lane and frontage road adjacent to Highway 75 near the junction with CSAH 10. It will improve safety by reducing the need for stacking trucks waiting to enter the plant located on Highway 75. Total project cost is $450,000.

MnDOT received nine project proposals in the Twin Cities area and six proposals in Greater Minnesota, for a total of $67.6 million in requests for this year’s TED grants.

The TED program was established in 2010. DEED administers a parallel Transportation Economic Development Infrastructure (TEDI) program that funds projects on local roads and for other types of transportation. Projects may combine funding from both programs.

More information about the selected projects and the TED program is available on MnDOT’s website at http://www.mndot.gov/funding/ted/index.html.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/28/2024 00:00