(St. Paul) – 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.

“I am happy that the full Senate made this dangerous and deadly highway as high a priority as I have, especially when there are so many other issues that are getting put on the backburner for a little while,” said the bill’s co-author, Sen. John Jasinski (R-Faribault). “I came to the Legislature determined to secure funding for the east end of Highway 14 between Owatonna and Dodge Center. We delivered that funding two years ago, and now we have a strong bipartisan agreement to leverage federal funds in order to accomplish the west end expansion. It is an exciting day for southern Minnesota.”

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.