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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Denny McNamara

359 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3135

For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317

Posted: 2008-04-03 00:00:00
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NEWS COLUMN

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM REP. DENNY McNAMARA

Recently the Minnesota Department of Transportation contacted me with
information regarding the Hastings bridge, so I thought I’d share it
with you. It includes information about both the repairs this summer and
the future replacement of the bridge.

According to a MnDOT press release, an inspection of the Highway 61
bridge is scheduled to begin next Monday morning, April 7. During the
inspection, traffic will be restricted to a single lane with flaggers
from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Motorists are advised to drive carefully past the inspection vehicles
or use alternate routes. Inspection activities will be canceled in case
of high winds or other inclement weather. The inspection will be
completed by Wednesday, April 16, weather permitting.

Following the inspection, work will begin on a five-month maintenance
and painting project. The intensive project will include painting all
steel members of the bridge from below the bridge deck to 10 feet above
the deck; repairing the sidewalk, curb and a portion of the deck;
replacing expansion joints in the deck, and removing, repairing and
reinstalling bearings on several of the piers.

Beginning in May, traffic will be restricted to a single lane across
the bridge controlled by a signal system until the end of August.

If you are interested in receiving and email alert regarding the latest
updates on the Hastings bridge maintenance and painting project, along
with future replacement plans for the bridge, can receive them by
visiting MnDOT’s Hastings bridge website at
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hastingsbridge/index.html.
Click on “Get Email Updates” in the upper right hand corner and
you’ll be all set.

Meanwhile at the Capitol, we begin to look at ways to reduce our nearly
$1 billion budget deficit. Right now we are seeing plans that seem to
take the easy way out by only solving this problem short-term. I think
this is a big mistake. State economists have already predicted we could
face another $1 billion deficit next year if we don’t approve some
long-term solutions.

We need to be careful because if the choices we make this session are
not sustainable over the long haul, it is extremely likely that we will
face this same situation again next year - with worse conditions.

Talk to you soon,

Denny

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