Today, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced four Minnesota road construction projects that will receive funding under the state’s Corridors of Commerce program. Senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson), chairman of the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, issued the following statement:

“I’m tremendously disappointed in how MnDOT chose which projects would be funded under the Corridors of Commerce program – and particularly with the imparity between the metro area and Greater Minnesota. Legislation passed and signed into law last year requires MnDOT to allocate Corridors of Commerce with particular interest to ‘regional balance’. Today’s announcement shows the agency is more interested in funding Twin Cities-area projects than meeting the growing needs of commerce and individuals in our rural communities. As announced by MnDOT, the project selections geographically places 100% of the funding within, or contiguous to, the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

This is not the way transportation dollars in Minnesota should be spent. At 86,943 square miles, Minnesota is a big state with diverse transportation needs, including critically-needed upgrades to roadways like Highway 14, Highway 12, and Highway 23. As a state agency, MnDOT should be putting the needs of Minnesotans in all areas of our state first.”

Senator Scott Newman is in his third term representing Senate District 18, which includes communities in McLeod, Meeker, Sibley, and Wright counties. He also serves as chair of the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.