Projects slotted to begin next year
ST. PAUL—Rep. Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers, announced today that area residents can expect additional lanes, congestion relief and improved safety for Interstate 94 between Rogers and St. Michael, and Highway 610 from Hennepin County Road 81 to I-94 in Maple Grove. Funding for the projects comes from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Corridors of Commerce program scheduled to begin next year.
“These expansion projects come after years of work by many strong, local leaders who advocated on behalf of hardworking families and business owners of the northwest suburbs who need freeways that meet their real needs,” Rep. Peppin noted. “The list of people who have worked on these needed improvements over the years is long, and I’d like to thank MnDOT, as well as the chamber of commerce officials, business owners, mayors, city council members and public works directors from Rogers, Dayton and Maple Grove who put in countless hours advocating for these projects.”
Rep. Peppin explained the I-94 project will add a lane from highways MN101 (Rogers) to MN 241 (St. Michael), increasing capacity to one of the state’s fastest growing corridors. MnDOT expects the project to cost between $35 million and $46 million.
The Highway 610 project will add a new freeway connection from Hennepin County Road 81 to I-94 in Maple Grove. The new connection will accommodate 50,000 vehicles per day and alleviate traffic on the main arteries of I-94 and I-694. MnDOT officials are allotting $103 million to $131 million for the project.
“These critical infrastructure improvements will help alleviate the daily headache and economic burden caused by traffic congestion,” Rep. Peppin said. “I look forward to the benefits associated with these expansion projects, including spending less time in traffic and increased opportunity for competitiveness for area businesses.”
MnDOT is allocating $300 million for 10 Corridors of Commerce projects. The funds are designated from trunk highway bonds passed during the 2013 legislative session. To learn more, visit www.mndot.gov/corridorsofcommerce.
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