Transportation commissioner Charlie Zelle has announced that $1.1 billion in state road and bridge projects will be worked on across Minnesota this year.
The 253 projects, many of which are already under way, will help keep the state’s roads and bridges in good working condition, improve safety for motorists and support thousands of construction jobs across the state.
“These projects are critical investments in Minnesota’s aging transportation system,” said Zelle. “We will repave roads, repair and paint bridges, replace culverts, and rehabilitate structures such as the Stillwater Lift Bridge.”
Zelle also announced 49 multimodal projects valued at $32 million. These include airport, port and railroad projects that are outside of the state road construction program.
Despite the large construction program this year, Zelle said the long-term transportation funding picture remains bleak compared to the system’s needs. In 2017, Governor Dayton and the state legislature provided an additional $640 million in trunk highway bonding over the next four years as well as $164 million in cash. This additional funding will reduce Minnesota’s annual $600 million transportation funding gap by $200 million for each of the next four years. However, Minnesota’s $600 million annual funding gap will resume beginning again in 2022.
