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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
TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT YIELDS TANGIBLE RESULTS
To the Editor:
It only took 20 years, but we are finally beginning to see significant progress on efforts to modernize and repair Minnesota roads and bridges. Because of a comprehensive transportation bill passed by the Legislature in 2008, this summer will mark the biggest road construction season in Minnesota history.
Last week the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced 283 road construction projects that will get underway this year, investing $1.3 billion in the state’s highways and bridges. Several of those projects will be right here in our area, including:
• Construction of a new interchange on Hwy 7 at Wooddale Ave. in St. Louis Park
Cost: $17 million
Construction dates: October 13, 2009 – June 2011
• Reconstruction of the Hwy 169/I-494 intersection
Cost: $150 million
Construction dates: Fall 2010 – Spring 2013
• Installing fiber optics and traffic cameras for congestion management at Hwy 7, I-394, and Hwy 55
Cost: $2.4 million
Construction dates: September 2010 – March 2011
I don’t have to tell anyone these projects will cause some major inconveniences. But the cost of doing nothing would be much greater. Minnesotans learned the hard way what decades of neglect has done to the structural integrity of our transportation system, and we have a lot of catching up to do.
The biggest and most important project not on this list is the Hwy 100 reconstruction through St. Louis Park. Senator Ron Latz, Rep. Steve Simon, Commissioner Gail Dorfman, the City of St. Louis Park, and I have continued to push this issue with MnDOT. We will keep pushing until that project is done.
So take a deep breath, and drive safely through the many construction zones throughout Minnesota this summer.
Ryan Winkler
State Representative
District 44B
(651) 296-7026
rep.ryan.winkler@house.mn
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- Statement on Budget Forecast - (Posted: 2012-12-05 00:00:00)
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- Rep. Winkler: Tea Party Activists Can’t Be Trusted to Reform Our Elections - (Posted: 2012-11-01 00:00:00)
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