ST.PAUL 鈥� Minnesota has received $138 million in federal funding to help with unfinished and new construction on Interstate 494, Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday.
According to a Monday, Oct. 21, press release from Walz鈥檚 office, the money will be used to help complete the I-494 Airport to Highway 169 corridor project, which the Minnesota Department of Transportation started work on in .
ADVERTISEMENT
The project is expected to cost a total of and is intended to help curb flooding, reduce runoff into the Minnesota River and improve rush hour traffic and overall safety, among other goals, according to . The project is expected to finish in 2026.
This leg of the project will add pass lanes on I-494 in both directions between Highway 169 and East Bush Lake Road and between I-35W and Highway 77.
鈥淚nterstate 494 is both a critical connection to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and a vital trucking route in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest,鈥� Walz said in the press release. 鈥淭hese dollars will help us ensure the long-term economic vitality of the region while improving the safety and efficiency of our transportation system.鈥�
The funding announced this week will also replace the railroad bridge over I-494 between Lyndale Avenue and Nicollet Avenue and be used for improvements to the interchange at I-35W and 82nd Street.
鈥淭his funding will both improve this corridor for the traveling public and help us with efforts to reduce vehicle miles traveled by encouraging more options and car-sharing while also improving mobility and safety,鈥� Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said in the release.
The funding comes from President Joe Biden鈥檚 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation鈥檚 Infrastructure and Rebuilding America program.
The Trust Project
