In one of its final acts before taking a month-long pause in response to the COVID-19 spread, the Minnesota Senate tonight approved legislation that would pave the way for the state to complete the Highway 14 expansion from Nicollet to New Ulm, which is the final phase of the project.

“It has taken far too many years, but it is great to see that funding to complete the last leg of Highway 14 is finally within reach,” said bill co-sponsor Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center). “I championed the Highway 14 expansion from Janesville to Waseca seventeen years ago, and so many people have worked incredibly hard since then to reach this point. I am proud of the bipartisan effort that finally got this done.”

The bill allows MnDOT to secure a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan through the federal Department of Transportation for the final portion of the project. The loan will be administered by the Rural Project Initiative and the Build America Bureau. The loan would be repaid using overweight vehicle fees, which are currently placed in the state treasury and then credited to the Trunk Highway Fund. The loan may only be used to fund Highway 14.

The time frame for the project is dependent on the state’s deliverance of proof and source of payment to the federal government. Once Minnesota’s credit is approved, the US Department of Transportation will invite MnDOT to formally submit applications for reviewal. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) expects that construction could begin as early as fall of 2021 and the expected completion date in late 2023. The entire application and approval process will likely take 6 – 9 months.