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State Representative Ryan Winkler
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7026
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Column/LTE
GETTING MINNESOTA MOVING AGAIN
To the Editor:
After over two decades of neglect, the Legislature passed a responsible transportation package (HF2800) that directs $6.6 billion of sorely needed funding into Minnesota's transportation system over the next ten years. Governor Pawlenty vetoed the measure, but the Legislature voted to override that decision with broad, bipartisan support.
For years, residents in our area have been promised progress on crucial transportation projects like Hwy 100, Hwy 7, and the Southwest Corridor Rail Line. Inadequate state funding has left those promises unfulfilled. The result has been unsafe interchanges, crumbling bridges, deteriorating roads, and mounting gridlock.
This week's passage of the most significant transportation plan in twenty years will finally provide the resources necessary to give our community's transportation infrastructure the attention it so desperately needs. Over the next ten years:
· The City of St. Louis Park will receive an additional $4.2 million;
· The City of Golden Valley will receive an additional $2.1 million; and
· Hennepin County will receive an additional $152.4 million.
Along with road and bridge improvements in coming years, commuters can also expect better service standards for metropolitan bus routes, expanded transit options, and greater accountability for taxpayer dollars at MnDOT.
I'm also working on a transportation policy reform measure to prioritize critical transportation projects based on their eligibility for federal matching funds. The bill would speed up construction of new interchanges like those on Hwy 7 at Louisiana and Wooddale, and hold MnDOT accountable for completion of projects of such urgent need.
Ryan Winkler
State Representative
News Items
- Statement on Budget Forecast - (Posted: 2012-12-05 00:00:00)
- Statement on Final I-35 W Bridge Settlement - (Posted: 2012-11-13 00:00:00)
- Rep. Winkler: Tea Party Activists Can’t Be Trusted to Reform Our Elections - (Posted: 2012-11-01 00:00:00)
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