Metro area projects awarded stimulus funds

More than 50 people gathered for three hours in the Metropolitan Council Chambers Wednesday to find out if federal stimulus dollars would go to repairing the metro area’s infrastructure, or to expand two major highways.

But in a move that the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Met Council feel balances needs for both, the Transportation Advisory Board voted to approve $126 million in projects, including a large highway expansion and about 20 local ventures.

About $84 million will go to a three-mile extension of state Highway 610 in Maple Grove, with another $70 million in federal stimulus funding allocated to smaller projects in the region.

However, using $138 million in stimulus dollars to support expansion of the 169/I-494 interchange did not pass.

Khani Sahebjam, deputy commissioner of MnDOT, said they will be taking their “foot off the pedal” in pursuing stimulus funds for the project, due in part to a refusal by the Federal Highway Administration to approve a smaller scale reconstruction of the interchange.

Several mayors of surrounding suburbs spoke out to support the project, including Prior Lake Mayor Jack Haugen.

Haugen said the board needed to focus on the long-term picture for the thousands of people who used the 169/I-494 interchange.

But a majority of the testimonies concerned a “build first, fix later” attitude that has left metro area bike trails, roadways and sidewalks in disrepair.

“Our focus over the last two decades has been expansion,” Barb Thoman, co-founder of Transit for Livable Communities, said. “Now we need to focus on repairs.”

Other Minneapolis residents echoed Thoman, saying that congestion has decreased on major highways because more people are biking, walking and using mass transit.

Several small town officials also attended the meeting, urging the board to support specific projects in their areas and to reconsider a stimulus fund match requirement on projects.

“With city levy limits we can only do so much,” Candice Hansen, manager for the city of Mound, Minn., said. “No local match requirement will enable stimulus money to go a long way to save small towns.”

Christopher Bell, board member of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota , strongly urged the council to apply funds to improve transportation for the disabled.

Bell said the state of Minnesota has not complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act — guidelines for making public and commercial facilities accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Although MnDOT has allocated about $2 million for disability improvements, Bell said it’s nowhere near enough.

“This state is looking at a huge legal unfunded liability,” he said. “Please be advised, you will need to spend money on accessibility, whether you like it or not.”

As part of the economic stimulus bill, Minnesota received about $502 million to pour into road and other infrastructure projects.

But there’s an expected $150 million cut in the state’s road construction budget over the next two years, including about $66 million in the metro area.

“We know that this money will create jobs, but it will also save a lot of jobs,” Sahebjam said.