The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will be spending $1.1 billion on 253 state road and bridge projects this year, according to Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle.
“These projects are critical investments in Minnesota’s aging transportation system,” Zelle said. “We will repave roads, repair and paint bridges, replace culverts and rehabilitate structures such as the Stillwater Lift Bridge.”
Many of the road projects are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area including resurfacing the I-35 North Metro split and upgrading infrastructure on Interstate 35W at Interstate 94.
Bridge work includes replacing the Kennedy Bridge deck on Highway 2 and constructing two bridges over the Snake River.
MnDOT reminds motorists that fines in work zones are as high as $300.
In addition, Zelle announced MnDOT will spend $32 million on 49 multimodal projects outside of the state road construction program.
Last year, Gov. Mark Dayton approved $164 million in cash and $640 million in trunk highway bonding over the next four years. This additional funding temporarily reduces the state’s annual $600 million transportation funding gap by $200 million.
MnDOT oversees approximately 12,000 miles of roads, more than 4,800 bridges, 4,445 miles of railroad tracks, 222 miles of navigable waterways, 135 publicly owned airports and approximately 111 million transit trips annually.