ST. PAUL, MN — The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announces it has awarded a total of $76.2 million through three competitive grant programs to more than two dozen transportation projects statewide that will improve freight options, travel time reliability, and economic development.

The funds come from the Minnesota Highway Freight Program (MHFP), the Transportation Economic Development (TED) Program, and the Corridors of Commerce Readiness Advancement Program. Collectively these programs help fund and support transportation projects that aim to improve freight safety, access, mobility, first and last mile connections, railroads and intermodal facilities, and more to ensure the state continues to have a safe, sustainable, and efficient transportation system.

“Infrastructure investments in Minnesota help people get where they need to go safely, help businesses grow, and make local communities attractive to companies looking to relocate or expand,” MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said. “Safety is always a guiding principle of our funding decisions, and these transportation projects will help us better serve our state for decades to come.”

Grant recipients in the Twin Cities Metro Area include:

• City of Burnsville ($10 million MHFP) and City of Savage ($7.9 million TED) for the Highway 13 Corridor Mobility and Safety Improvements project, which will construct new interchanges and overpasses at key intersections along Highway 13
• City of Elko New Market ($7 million MHFP) for the I-35/Scott County Road 2 Interchange Reconstruction Project, which will construct a Diverging Diamond Interchange at that intersection and make other improvements along the corridor to improve safety and reliability of the interchange
• Dakota County ($7 million MHFP) for the I-35/Dakota County Roads 50 and 5 Interchange Reconstruction project that will add auxiliary lanes, add shared use pathways, and improve signals to help increase freight mobility and safety
• Dakota County ($3.85 million TED) to expand Dakota County Road 46 (160th Street) to four lanes from Highway 3 (Chippendale Avenue) to Highway 52 near Coates and add two roundabouts to enhance safety and traffic movement
• Truck Parking Information Management System replacement ($1.7 million MHFP) to replace truck parking information system sensors and cabinets, and to install new safety cameras at seven MnDOT rest areas

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Grant recipients in Greater Minnesota include:

• City of Two Harbors ($4.9 million TED) for the Two Harbors Highway 61 Corridor Project that will reconstruct Highway 61 from Scenic Drive (Old Highway 61) to Park Road, add roundabouts at 7th Avenue and 11th Avenue, and other intersection enhancements to extend the life span of the corridor
• Meeker County ($2.7 million TED) for the Highway 12 and Meeker County Road 34 Intersection Improvements Project that will construct a three-legged roundabout and reconfigure access to Highway 12 from East Frontage Road
• MnDOT District 6 ($10 million MHFP) for the I-35/I-90 Interchange Freight Safety and Mobility Project that will replace a bridge, construct buffer lanes, add roundabouts, and extend turn lanes at the interchange north of Albert Lea to better accommodate truck movements and improve safety
• MnDOT District 8 ($5.2 million MHFP) to build a roundabout at Highway 71/19 and Redwood County Road 1 (Airport Road) near Redwood Falls
• MnDOT District 4 ($2 million MHFP) for snow fence improvements along I-94 to improve safety and visibility along I-94 during snow events
• Cloquet Terminal Railroad ($1.9 million MHFP) for intermodal and railroad improvements to better accommodate stacking and cargo at the Sappi Paper Cloquet Mill
• City of Saint James ($518,000 TED) for the 12th Avenue South Highway District Expansion project that will construct 12th Avenue South and make turn lane improvements on Highway 4

An additional $2.4 million from the Minnesota Highway Freight Program will also be used to update district and statewide freight plans to support statewide economic development.

The Corridors of Commerce Readiness Advancement program provides funding to help with planning, scoping, predesign, and more for future projects that will improve capacity and freight movement. Grant recipients include:

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• City of Maple Grove ($2.5 million) to help planning of future projects within the I-94 corridor at the Fish Lake Interchange (I-94/I-694/I-494) and the Maple Grove Parkway interchange
• Anoka County ($2 million) to advance development of a grade-separated interchange at the intersection of Highway 47 and Anoka County Road 132 (85th Avenue) in Blaine
• City of Elk River ($1.6 million) for preliminary design and environmental analysis for Highway 10 in from Highway 169 to the eastern city limits
• Cloud Area Planning Organization ($1.5 million) for planning and project development to improve Highway 15 from Highway 23 to Highway 10
• Olmsted County ($1.3 million) for preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for proposed interchanges along Highway 14 at Olmsted County Roads 3 and 5