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Klobuchar Secures Over $101 Million for Minnesota Transportation Projects

Includes Funding for Northstar Commuter Rail, Central Corridor, Hastings Bridge Replacement, and other vital transportation infrastructure projects throughout Minnesota

July 11, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced today that Minnesota could receive over  $101 million in federal funding for Minnesota projects as part of the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2009.  Klobuchar said funding for Minnesota transportation initiatives was included in the bill that cleared committee late yesterday and will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration. 

Senator Klobuchar secured $2 million towards the replacement of the Hastings Bridge in Hastings, Minnesota, with work scheduled to begin by 2010.  The bridge, which carries 32,000 motorists per day over the Mississippi River between Dakota and Washington Counties on Highway 61 has multiple structural problems and is sorely in need of replacement.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation is currently implementing interim repair measures until the new bridge can be built.

“Thousands of Minnesotans rely on this bridge everyday and they need to know that it is safe,” said Klobuchar. “Infrastructure initiatives like this are critical in creating jobs to fuel the economy and provide safe and reliable transportation all Minnesota families.”

Klobuchar also secured $72 million for the Northstar Corridor commuter rail project. The 40-mile line from the Twin Cities northwest to Big Lake, will have station stops in Anoka, Coon Rapids, and Elk River. The proposed schedule will include five inbound and one outbound trip each weekday morning and five outbound and one inbound trip each weekday afternoon. The project also includes a four block extension of the Hiawatha light-rail train line to reach the downtown Minneapolis commuter rail station.

“Minnesota deserves a 21st Century transportation system to match its 21st Century economy,’’ Klobuchar said. “The tremendous growth of communities along the I-94 corridor is one of the great success stories of the Upper Midwest, and Northstar will help to keep that growth on track.’’ 

In addition, Klobuchar also secured $20 million for the development of an 11–mile Central Corridor light-rail commuter line connecting downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis via the State Capitol, Midway, and the University of Minnesota. The project is expected to serve over 40,000 passengers each day by 2030. 

“A growing metro area needs a forward-looking transportation policy – one that gives people choices, gets them out of rush-hour traffic and reduces congestion on our roads,’’ Klobuchar said. “The Central Corridor light-rail commuter line is the next step in reducing the metro area’s congestion.”

Klobuchar also was successful in securing funding for a vital congestion mitigation project for the severely congested I-35W/Highway 10 area.  Local access interchanges serving four major redevelopment projects and connections to the metro area beltway are expected to support over 14,200 new homes, 42,000 jobs and over $4.6 billion in private investment in the area.  Klobuchar secured $1 million for the project. 

Klobuchar secured an additional $1 million for the interchange at Highways 13 and 15 in Burnsville in order to reduce congestion and improve safety.  The project has been identified by MnDOT, Dakota and Scott Counties, and the Cities of Burnsville and Savage as needing improvements to address safety, traffic operations, and access issues. 

Klobuchar also pushed to include $2 million for the U.S. Highway 14 Partnership’s project to provide a streamlined transportation option between New Ulm, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna and Rochester with connections to other interregional corridors (State Highway 60, Interstate 35).  Highway 14 is generally known as one of the most dangerous stretches of highways in Minnesota.  The funding provides for safety and capacity improvement measures such as removing through-traffic within cities and doubling the number of lanes to four.

Additionally, Klobuchar secured funding for the following projects:

-$1 million for the Minnesota Valley Railroad Authority’s rehabilitation of the Redwood Falls rail line.
-$1 million for the development of the Cedar Avenue Corridor Transitway Bus and Rapid Transit project including the preliminary design, environmental documentation, development of stations and park and ride facilities along the corridor and shoulder improvements for transit operations in Dakota County.
-$1 million to finish construction of Highway 610 from Highway 169 to I-94, completing the Highway 10/610 corridor from I-35W to I-94 in Maple Grove.
-$1 million for safety improvements to the stretch of U.S. Highway 59 between Clarksfield and Marshall.  The 21-mile project will increase safety on the highway, widening the shoulder safety zones to six feet on each side.


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