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I-94 interchange in Rogers, Dayton gets federal funds

JIM ADAMS, Star Tribune

A proposed interchange on Interstate 94 in Rogers and Dayton is closer to reality after $800,000 in federal funds were secured for final design and environmental studies, officials said.
Building an interchange at Brockton Lane would unlock commercial and residential development in the area, said officials from the two northwest metro cities.

A larger bill containing the money was signed by President Obama last month, said aides to U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, who represents the area and helped obtain the funds. The studies will take about a year and a half, but there is another big hurdle to clear: Funding to build the interchange, estimated at $34 million, still has to be found, said Dayton administrator Samantha Orduno.

Orduno and Rogers administrator Steve Stahmer said the interchange is a key to growth in their cities, including the proposed 638-acre Stone's Throw residential and commercial development by the freeway and Brockton. The project also would relieve I-94 traffic in the five-mile stretch without an interchange between Rogers and Maple Grove. The freeway narrows from three lanes in each direction to two at Hwy. 101 in Rogers, creating rush-hour bottlenecks, especially on summer Friday evenings.

"Anyone who has driven this stretch of I-94 knows how important this project is," Paulsen said in a statement. "Not only will a new interchange reduce congestion in one of the metro area's busiest travel corridors, it will also improve safety, reduce emissions and ultimately allow for further economic development in the region."

The Minnesota Department of Transportation supports the project, although it has no funds available to contribute, said John Griffith, MnDOT's north area manager.

"It's a good project. That $800,000 will help get them started in getting the project ready, so ... when we get construction money, they are ready to go." He said the proposed interchange would relieve pressure on the overloaded Rogers interchange.

Paulsen spokesman Luke Friedrich said Paulsen has requested that $10 million to build the interchange be included in a House highway reauthorization bill. The cities hope to obtain matching state funds. Stone's Throw, owned by Hassan Mainstreet, LLC, has agreed to chip in $9 million, said co-owner Tom Gump. The remaining money could come from the two cities or other sources, such as a federal stimulus grant for which the cities have applied, he said.

Gump said his group has been working on Stone's Throw for five years and has gained approval from Rogers for about 1,000 residential units and 160 acres of retail and commercial development. The project also has been certified as shovel-ready by the state Department of Employment and Economic Development, he said. The group owns about half of the 638-acre site and has options or agreements to buy the rest, he said.