St. Paul, Minnesota — Today, legislation authored by state Representative Mary Sawatzky (DFL – Willmar) to fund Highway 23 received a hearing in the House Transportation Finance Committee.
Highway 23 is just two 7 mile stretches away from having a full four-lane connection to the Interstate System. One gap is between New London and Paynesville and the other between Paynesville and I-94 just south of St. Cloud. The bill has support from the Willmar Chamber of Commerce and business community.
“Willmar remains the only regional center without what many would consider adequate four-lane highway access,” said Rep. Sawatzky. “Completing this four-lane corridor — a ‘Corridor of Commerce’ — would expand economic opportunity and growth for our area.”
Rep. Jeff Howe (R – Paynesville) is a co-author on the legislation and testified with Rep. Sawatzky in committee.
“I’m very pleased to have bipartisan support and to work with Rep. Howe on this issue,” said Rep. Sawatzky. “I’m hopeful that by working together, we can get this done this session.”
The hearing was an informational presentation for members of the committee, who are in the process of ranking transportation projects that are seeking bonding support.
Rep. Sawatzky encourages constituents to contact her with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Sawatzky can be reached by phone at 651-296-6206 or by email at rep.mary.sawatzky@house.mn. Constituents can also visit Rep. Sawatzky’s AreaVoices blog, legislative page and sign up for email updates.