Governor's proposal would make needed improvements to Highway 23, repair 12 area bridges, and invest up to $203.8 million in road and bridge fixes in the five-county area over the next ten years
ST. PAUL, MN - Last month, Governor Mark Dayton /governor/assets/transportation_plan_fact_sheet.pdf_tcm1055-91876.pdfproposed an honest, straightforward plan to fix Minnesota's aging and under-funded transportation system. If passed by the Legislature, Governor Dayton's transportation proposal would provide up to $203.8 million over the next ten years for key state road and bridge improvements in Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Renville, and Swift counties. The Governor's plan would make needed improvements to Highway 23, repair or replace 12 area bridges, and provide area cities, counties, and townships a total $7.36 million in additional annual funding per year to use on their own priority local road and bridge improvement projects.
"Expanding and repairing Highway 23 would support economic growth, improve safety conditions for motorists, and better-connect communities throughout the region," said Governor Dayton. "If we fail to act, these important projects may not be funded anytime soon, and the poor conditions endured by motorists every day on Highway 23 would only get worse."
Under the Governor's transportation proposal, Highway 23 would be expanded from two to four lanes between Paynesville and New London within the next ten years. Without new funding for transportation this project would not be completed within the next 20 years.
"After decades of decline, the Governor's transportation proposal would make needed safety and mobility improvements along Highway 23, and a number of other needed road and bridge improvements in the area," said Commissioner Zelle. "The Governor's proposal would help reduce travel times for motorists, improve safety, and build a more modern transportation system that would meet the needs of this region."
Area State Road and Bridge Projects
The Governor's proposal would invest up to $203.8 million in these 21 state road and bridge improvement projects in Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Renville, and Swift counties over the next ten years:
|
County
|
Type
|
Highway
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Project Location
|
|
Chippewa
|
Bridge
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1st Street
|
1st Street over MN Highway 29 in Chippewa County
|
|
Chippewa
|
Bridge
|
3rd Street
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3rd Street over MN Highway 29 in Chippewa County
|
|
Chippewa
|
Bridge
|
US Hwy 212
|
US Highway 212 over Minnesota River in Chippewa County
|
|
Chippewa
|
Road
|
MN Hwy 277
|
11 miles from MN 7 to MN 40
|
|
Kandiyohi
|
Bridge
|
CSAH 23
|
CSAH 23 over US Highway 71 in Kandiyohi County
|
|
Kandiyohi
|
Bridge
|
US Hwy 12
|
US Highway 12 over BNSF Railroad in Kandiyohi County
|
|
Kandiyohi
|
Road
|
MN Hwy 23
|
2 to 4 lane expansion from Paynesville west to New London
|
|
Kandiyohi
|
Road
|
MN Hwy 4
|
2 miles from MN 55 to Kandiyohi-Stearns County Line
|
|
Kandiyohi
|
Road
|
US Hwy 12
|
12 miles from US 71 in Willmar to the Kandiyohi-Meeker County Line
|
|
Meeker
|
Road
|
MN Hwy 15
|
12 miles from Hutchinson to Dassel
|
|
Meeker
|
Bridge
|
MN Hwy 15
|
MN Highway 15 over North Fork River in Meeker County
|
|
Meeker
|
Bridge
|
MN Hwy 4
|
MN Highway 4 over South Fork Crow River in Meeker County
|
|
Meeker
|
Bridge
|
MN Hwy 4
|
MN Highway 4 over Middle Fork Crow River in Meeker County
|
|
Meeker
|
Bridge
|
MN Hwy 4
|
MN Highway 4 over North Fork Crow River in Meeker County
|
|
Meeker
|
Road
|
MN Hwy 4
|
9 miles from 135th Street (Cosmos) to south of County Highway 22
|
|
Renville
|
Bridge
|
MN Hwy 4
|
MN Highway 4 over Buffalo Creek in Renville County
|
|
Renville
|
Road
|
US Hwy 212
|
6 miles from Sacred Heart to Renville
|
|
Renville
|
Road
|
US Hwy 71
|
15 miles from MN 19 to Chestnut Avenue (Olivia)
|
|
Swift
|
Bridge
|
US Hwy 12
|
US Highway 12 over Cottonwood Creek in Swift County
|
|
Swift
|
Bridge
|
US Hwy 12
|
US Highway 12 in Swift County
|
|
Swift
|
Road
|
US Hwy 12
|
17 miles from Benson to Kerkhoven
|
More Funding for Area Cities, Counties, and Townships
Local road improvement projects, funded with help from the state, but chosen by local governments, would also receive funding from Governor Dayton's proposal. Over 40 percent of the new road and bridge revenues raised in the Governor's proposal ($2.356 billion) would be directed to cities, counties, and townships; giving local leaders the resources and flexibility to repair and replace roads and bridges statewide. These new investments would add hundreds of additional road and bridge improvements in communities across Minnesota. The Governor's proposal would invest a total of $7.36 million per year in these area cities and counties.
|
Local Government
|
New Funding
(Annual, estimated in 2019)
|
|
Chippewa County
|
$906,565
|
|
Kandiyohi County
|
$2,048, 237
|
|
Meeker County
|
$1,179,043
|
|
Renville County
|
$1,763,827
|
|
Swift County
|
$1,035,770
|
|
Montevideo
|
$84,968
|
|
Willmar
|
$344,758
|
Building on Recent Investments in Highway 23
The Governor's proposed investments outlined today would supplement recent Corridors of Commerce investments made in Highway 23 over the last two years. During the 2013 and 2014 legislative sessions, Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature invested $331 million in the state's
Corridors of Commerce initiative, which funds projects that strengthen the state's transportation system by adding capacity, reducing congestion, and improving the movement of freight and commerce across Minnesota.
Overall, MnDOT has already awarded up to $21.3 million in Corridors of Commerce funding to targeted improvements along Highway 23. Those projects, which are already getting underway, have included the construction of passing lanes from Willmar to Interstate 90, environmental work to prepare for future expansion from New London to Paynesville and Paynesville to Richmond, and right-of-way purchases in advance of expansion between New London and Paynesville.
Funding for Rail Safety Improvement Projects
In addition to his transportation proposal, Governor Dayton /governor/assets/overall_tax_changes_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114721.pdfhas proposed modernizing Minnesota's railroad tax system to reflect improvements to property, such as the rolling stock, rail cars, trestles and rail bridges. This new funding would then be used to /governor/assets/transportation_railroads_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114720.pdfhelp improve safety and alleviate traffic disruptions in communities with significant train traffic.
In the Willmar area, the Governor's proposal would provide funding to address the Willmar Wye project which will construct a new rail alignment and industrial park access on the west side of the city of Willmar. The proposed project would also include the construction of two new highway grade separations on Highway 12 and Highway 40, over the proposed new rail line. The plan would separate car traffic from train traffic and help to divert oil train traffic out of populated areas.
About Governor Dayton's Transportation Proposal
Governor Dayton has proposed a straightforward, honest solution to fix Minnesota's aging transportation systems. The Governor's plan would invest $6 billion over the next ten years to address the state's highway funding deficit, invest $2.356 billion in local government transportation projects, and provide $2.92 billion for Metro and Greater Minnesota transit systems.
Without these new investments, road and bridge conditions across Minnesota will only continue to get worse. If the state does nothing, over the next ten years: the number of road miles in poor condition will increase by 75 percent; an estimated 640 bridges (1 in 5 bridges statewide) will deteriorate into poor condition; and nearly 40 percent of all state roadways will surpass their useful life.
To learn more about Governor Dayton's proposal, click on the links below:
/governor/assets/transportation_county_projects_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114706.pdfList of Projects - Review the list of projects - released today by the Governor and MnDOT - that would be completed over the next ten years if the Governor's transportation proposal is passed
News Release - Read the news release from the Governor's transportation proposal announcement
/governor/assets/transportation_plan_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114708.pdfHow it Works - Read about how the plan would be funded
/governor/assets/transportation_overview_fact_sheet_tcm1055-114700.pdfFact Sheet - Get all the facts on the challenges facing our transportation system, and how the Governor's proposed investments would address those challenges
/governor/assets/transportation_investments_snapshot_tcm1055-114710.pdfLocal Funding Increases - Learn how much funding each city and county would receive under the Governor's transportation proposal
/governor/assets/transportation_maps_tcm1055-114711.pdfMaps - Take a look at the transportation projects that would be funded, by region
