ST. PAUL, Minn. (KEYC) – One of the busiest corridors in the Twin Cities metro area has received some federal funding to help pay for improvements.
Governor Tim Walz announced Monday Minnesota received $138 million in federal funding to improve I-494. The funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Interstate 494 is both a critical connection to the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport and a vital trucking route in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest,” said Governor Walz in a release announcing the funding. “These dollars will help us ensure the long-term economic vitality of the region while improving the safety and efficiency of our transportation system.”
“This 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,” added Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger in a release.
The funding will be used to help complete the I-494 Airport to Highway 169 corridor project, which includes adding E-ZPass lanes on I-494 in both directions between Highway 169 and East Bush Lake Road, and I-35W and Highway 77. The project will also replace old infrastructure including a railroad bridge over I-494 between Lyndale Avenue and Nicollet Avenue and reconstruct the interchange at I-35W and 82nd Street.
The funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program. INFRA supports highway and freight projects aimed at improving the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas.
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