It has taken a few years, but the State Legislature has finally passed on new Transportation Bill. The new bill survived the Governor’s veto when both the House and the Senate voted to override the veto earlier this week. Among its many provisions, the ones that have received the most attention from the media are the following: a 0.25 cent increase in the general state sales tax in the seven-county metro area; an 8.5 cent/gallon gas tax increase phased in over the next five years; and an increase in license tab fees for new vehicles. Together, these three measures will create $6.5 billion of new money for transportation – both roads and transit – in Minnesota.
The new Transportation Bill has created the possibility of a major road project moving ahead of its current plan. The intersection of 494 & 169 is woefully inadequate for the traffic volumes it handles on a daily basis. There is a major plan to fix it. In the current funding scenario, the contract award for that project is not scheduled until 2016 – at the earliest. The new transportation dollars create a new situation in which this project can be re-prioritized and moved to an earlier date. I am going to meet with my city manager colleagues from Edina and Bloomington today to talk about that issue.
