ST. PAUL, MN – Lt. Governor Tina Smith and Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle today participated in a roundtable discussion in Mankato focused on finding a long-term transportation funding solution. Last year, Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith proposed a 21st Century transportation plan that would make the sustainable, long-term investments necessary to build a better transportation network, spur Minnesota’s innovation economy forward, and generate the great jobs of the future.

 

“Minnesota’s roads, bridges, and transit networks form the backbone of our economy. After decades of decline, we must invest in these systems to protect Minnesota's long-term economic vitality,” said Lt. Governor Smith. “The plan proposed by Democrats would provide the resources we need to create a 21st Century transportation system and build an economy that works for all Minnesotans, everywhere in Minnesota.”

 

Modern roads, bridges, and transit systems are the foundation of an economy that works for all Minnesotans, everywhere in Minnesota. Businesses statewide need reliable roads and bridges to export their ideas and innovations to consumers around the globe. To attract and retain the best workers, Minnesota needs roadways, bridges, and transit systems that make it easy to get to work safely, affordably, and on-time. 

 

“The state’s foremost experts agree on two things: this problem is real, and it cannot be resolved without a major investment,” said Transportation Commissioner Zelle. “But Minnesotans didn’t need a bipartisan panel of experts to tell them what they already know – that our transportation system is in serious disrepair, and getting worse. This problem presents us with two simple and starkly different options: invest for the future, or do nothing and let the problem get much worse.”

 

Under the Governor and Lt. Governor’s plan, south central Minnesota communities and counties would receive nearly $11.1 million per year:

 

 

Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith support a transportation investment that will reinvigorate Minnesota’s transportation systems – ensuring that we have a statewide transportation solution that works for all Minnesotans.

 

• Investing in Roads and Bridges – Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith’s transportation solution would repair or replace 2,200 miles of roads and 330 bridges statewide. The plan would also give local leaders the resources and flexibility to repair and replace local roads and bridges in their communities by directing over 40 percent of the new revenues to cities, counties, and townships.

 

• Transit for Growing Economies – Greater Minnesota seniors, commuters, and students, and others unable to drive, are expected to take an additional 4.3 million transit trips every year by 2040. To grow Minnesota’s regional centers and support innovation, the Governor and Lt. Governor’s plan would add 500,000 additional hours of service annually in Greater Minnesota – meeting 90 percent of the need.

 

Last year, Governor Dayton and legislative leaders reached agreement on the scope of Minnesota’s growing transportation needs. Currently, Minnesota faces a $6 billion funding gap for state highways over the next decade that will only get bigger the longer we wait. Governor Dayton and Lt. Governor Smith remain committed to reaching a common ground, common sense solution this year on how to fund a long-term, comprehensive transportation solution to build a better Minnesota for everyone, everywhere in our state.

 

• Aging Roads and Bridges – Right now, more than half of Minnesota’s roads are more than 50 years old, and 40 percent of the state’s bridges are more than 40 years old. In just the next three years alone, one in five Minnesota roads will pass their useful life. And in the next ten years, nearly 40 percent of our roads will be past their useful life.

 

• High Costs for Commuters and Businesses – Poor roads cost Minnesota motorists $1.2 billion every year in extra vehicle repairs, and Minnesota businesses spend an extra $232 million each year on additional freight transportation costs caused by traffic congestion.

 

• Declining Return – Without a funding increase by 2017, Minnesota’s state road construction budget is expected to shrink by 45 percent. Roads with less traffic would be the first to be impact – having an outsized impact in Greater Minnesota and other areas with fewer travelers.

 

FACT SHEET: Fixing Our Roads, Bridges, and Transit Systems [Link]

 

FACT SHEET: Transportation Investments Listed by County, City [Link]