Dayton: Plan pays for 600 road and bridge projects
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In an attempt to increase public support for his transportation proposal, Gov. Mark Dayton released a list of 600 state road and bridge projects Tuesday that he says won’t happen unless his plan is passed into law.
Standing alongside maps detailing specific projects across Minnesota, Dayton urged the Legislature to pass his $6 billion plan for roads and bridges. He said projects including Highway 14 in southern Minnesota and an Interstate 94 expansion near St. Michael won’t get done unless the Legislature approves money for transportation.
“It’s just simple reality. If they don’t have the money, they can’t do the projects,” Dayton said.
Dayton is proposing to raise the wholesale tax on gasoline by at least 16 cents per gallon and to hike vehicle registration fees to pay for the road and bridge projects in his plan. He also wants to increase the sales tax in the metro area by a half cent to pay for transit projects.
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Dayton has made transportation one of his top priorities this session, warning state lawmakers and the public that failing to address it now will have drastic consequences down the line.
“If we don’t follow this path then we’re going to see a significant deterioration in the quality of Minnesota’s highways, roads, bridges as well as the state’s transit system,” Dayton said.
Dayton and Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Charlie Zelle didn't have a specific breakdown on the cost of each project, but Zelle said the most expensive one is likely the proposed widening of I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Zelle also said about 72 percent of the projects on the list are in rural Minnesota. Twenty-eight percent are in the seven county metropolitan area.
The proposal is based on what the MnDOT's nonpartisan staff determined are the major needs across the state, according to Zelle.
“We have worked on that over many years and this is what our best thinking is at this point,” Zelle said.
Minnesota House Republicans said Dayton’s decision to line-item which projects will get funded is an attempt to strong arm them into passing a bill.
House Transportation Finance Chair Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, says he isn't convinced Dayton's pitch is going to work.
“What he’s finding is that the sentiment around the state is not for a gas tax increase. What the sentiment is for to prioritize transportation,” Kelly said. "He knows that, so now he’s going out and highlighting the projects and saying ‘they won’t get done without this revenue.' I believe they will get done, and they will get done with the plan we’re putting together.”
Kelly's plan is to spend $187 million a year over the next four years by tapping the state's budget surplus and by trimming other spending in the transportation department. He said he expects to announce a broader package in a few weeks.
Senate Democrats have backed a plan that resembles Dayton’s proposal but is more generous.
Here’s a list of projects released by Gov. Dayton's office: