6.2. SR 05-07-2018
Request for Action
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 6.2
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
Presentations May 7, 2018 Justin Femrite, P.E., City Engineer
Item Description Reviewed by
TH 169 Freeway Conversion Funding Cal Portner, City Administrator
Reviewed by
Action Requested
Staff will discuss the recent Corridors of Commerce announcement.
Background/Discussion
With great enthusiasm we are excited to announce the State of Minnesota has awarded $157,000,000 for
the conversion of Trunk Highway 169 to a freeway through Elk River.
There remain many design details and local participation questions that will be answered as the project
advances through preliminary and final design, but at this time we want to celebrate the long awaited
funding for this much needed project!
Financial Impact
N/A
Attachments
MnDOT Press Release
The Elk River Vision
A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional
service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity
News Release
May 1, 2018
Contact: Kevin Gutknecht
Office: 651-366-4266
Cell: 651-231-4192
kevin.gutknecht@state.mn.us
MnDOT awards more than $400 million in Corridors of Commerce
projects
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation today awarded a total of $417 million
to four projects as part of the Corridors of Commerce program. The projects, intended to improve the
state transportation system in ways that specifically support Minnesota’s economy, will begin during the
next four years.
“Since 2013, the Corridors of Commerce program has funded projects that are important to the health
of our transportation system and business climate, but not afforded in our four-year transportation
investment plan,” said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle. “The selected projects will enhance the
movement of freight and people in the regions where these projects are located which will aid the
economy and reduce congestion.”
The four projects receiving Corridors of Commerce funding in 2018 are:
Highway 169 in Elk River (Greater Minnesota) – estimate up to $157 million
This project will convert Highway 169 in Elk River to a freeway. The proposed project will
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construct interchanges at Main Street and School Street, 193 Avenue, and a partial interchange
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at 197 Avenue. Project submitted by Justin Femrite, Elk River city engineer.
Highway 494, France Avenue to Highway 77 (Metro District) – estimate up to $134 million
This project will construct a MnPASS lane on Interstate 494 from France Avenue to Highway 77
in the eastbound direction and a MnPASS lane from Highway 77 to I-35W in the westbound
direction. The proposed project is intended to improve the capacity of the interstate and
dramatically improve the reliability of the average rush hour trip. Project submitted by Tony
Fischer, Metropolitan Council.
Highway 494, Bush Lake Road to Interstate 35W (Metro District) – estimate up to $70 million
This project will construct the first phase of a turbine interchange that includes a directional
ramp for northbound I-35W to westbound I-494 traffic. The proposed project is intended to
improve interstate capacity and reduce crashes. Project submitted by Karl Keel, City of
Bloomington public works director.
Highway 94, St. Michael to Albertville (Greater Minnesota) – estimate up to $56 million
This project will expand I-94 from four to six lanes between Highway 241 in St. Michael and
County Road 19 in Albertville. The proposed project is intended to improve the capacity of the
interstate by adding a third lane in each direction and make interchange improvements at
Highway 241 and at county roads 37 and 19 in Albertville. Project submitted by several people
including Steve Bot (St. Michael city engineer), Adam Flaherty (Otsego city administrator), and
Adam Nafstad (Albertville city administrator).
In January, MnDOT solicited project recommendations from the public, including local units of
government, transportation advocates and interested citizens. It also conducted significant public
outreach when developing the scoring criteria. MnDOT received a total of 299 project
recommendations. After duplicate work and ineligible projects were removed, the agency had 172
project recommendations valued at $5.5 billion.
With the assistance of a consultant engineering firm, the agency scored and ranked the recommended
projects using a set of eligibility and selection criteria which were passed by the Minnesota Legislature
and required under state law. Criteria included the proposed project’s return on investment, economic
impact, freight efficiency, safety improvement, regional connections, policy objectives and community
consensus. The final key requirement was that 50 percent of the funding be spent in Greater Minnesota,
or those MnDOT areas that are not in the MnDOT Metro District, and 50 percent be spent in the Metro
District, which is the seven-county metro area plus Chisago County.
“It is important to note that we followed direction set by the Minnesota Legislature regarding the
solicitation, scoring criteria and geographic distribution of funding,” Zelle said. “We brought the scoring
criteria to the public to get input prior to the solicitation. And, MnDOT did not put any projects in that
solicitation.”
Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature created the Corridors of Commerce program in 2013 to
invest in projects that support commerce in the state, but that are not already considered in the state’s
transportation investment plan. Since that time, the program has provided more than $330 million to
dozens of projects across the state. For more information about the program, and to view the submitted
project recommendations, visit www.mndot.gov/corridorsofcommerce.
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www.mndot.gov