The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced their plans to make a significant investment in the quality of roads and highways across the state.  The state agency has awarded $75 million in Local Road Improvement Program grants and a variety of local roadways are included as part of the project list.

All told, 75 statewide road projects will benefit from the grant money.  Additionally, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated an additional $110 million to specific projects on the list.

The grant-winning projects were selected through an application and review process that started in December 2020.  During the submission process, the Minnesota Department of Transportation received 425 applications that totaled $344 million in funding requests.

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To narrow the field down, the Local Road Improvement Program Advisory Committee used specific criteria to narrow down the pool of applicant projects.  Two central elements that were considered included the "regional significance of the route" and the "effectiveness of the project eliminating transportation system deficiencies".

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Marc Briese, State Aid Programs Engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation offered a positive take on the program:

"This funding will go a long way to improving the local transportation system and providing all Minnesotans more reliable and safe roads.  These grants give cities, towns, and counties more options to improve and create better roadways."

The complete list of grant-winning road projects was released by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.  Locally, the Northland saw a few winning projects - including:

  • Duluth:  21st Avenue East, LRIP award in the amount of $1,250,000
  • Hermantown:  Richard Avenue and Lindgren Road, LRIP award in the amount of $750,000
  • Proctor:  2nd Street, LRIP award in the amount of $1,250,000
  • Grand Rapids:  21st Street SW, LRIP award in the amount of $1,250,000
  • St. Louis County:   Giants Ridge Road, LRIP award in the amount of $1,250,000

The Local Roads Improvement Program was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2002. To get more details and to learn about the impact they have on Minnesota's streets, roads, and bridges, click here.

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Alexander Milanese
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