Corridors of Commerce
Governor Walz Announces $380 Million in State Grants for Transportation Projects
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today announced that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will allocate $380 million to fund eight new infrastructure projects through the state’s Corridors of Commerce program.
“We’re making historic investments in our state’s transportation system to improve the safety and connectivity of communities across the state,” said Governor Walz. “We depend on our roads and highways to safely get us to our jobs, education, child care, and businesses. These projects help grow our economy and support our goal of making Minnesota the best state to live, work, and grow up in – no matter where you live.”
The projects receiving funding in 2023 include:
- TH 13 (Savage/Burnsville) – Grade separations from Quentin to Nicollet Aves: $96,000,000
- I-94 (Albertville to Monticello) – Lane expansion: $78,000,000
- TH 14/CSAH 44 (Byron) – Construct a grade separation: $60,000,000
- TH 371/TH 210 (Baxter) – Construct a grade separation: $58,000,000
- TH 23/MN 9 (New London) – Construct a grade separation: $33,000,000
- TH 65 (Blaine) – Grade separations from 103rd to 117th Aves: $30,000,000
- TH 53 (Eveleth to Virginia) – Roadway improvements: $18,000,000
- TH 10 (Coon Rapids) – Lane expansion from CSAH 78 to CSAH 9: $8,000,000
“We appreciate the work of our many local partners who submitted Corridors of Commerce funding proposals,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “While transportation funding needs are significant in communities across our state, MnDOT is grateful to the legislature for making historic infrastructure investments this session and we’ll continue partnering with proposers to explore other funding options for projects that did not receive funding in this round of the Corridors of Commerce program.”
This is the fourth round of Corridors of Commerce funding provided by the Minnesota Legislature and includes a total of $403 million, including $250 million authorized by the Legislature in 2021 and $153 million provided in 2023. $22 million will be reserved for project readiness activities for potential future Corridors of Commerce candidate projects.
The Corridors of Commerce program was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2013 with a goal of focusing transportation investments on state highway projects that directly and indirectly foster economic growth for the state of Minnesota. The program is outside of MnDOT’s regular State Road Construction program and Corridors of Commerce funding is dependent on legislative appropriation. The authorizing statute (161.088) also includes specific requirements for project eligibility and scoring.
In addition to this year’s Corridors of Commerce funding, the omnibus transportation bill included $6 billion for transportation and will allow MnDOT and its partners at the Metropolitan Council and local and tribal governments to make investments in our state’s multimodal transportation system. Combined with federal resources coming to Minnesota from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation enacted during the 2023 legislative session will result in transformational improvements that maximize the health of people, the environment, and our economy.
More information about the Corridors of Commerce program – including past awards and recent applicants – can be found on MnDOT’s website.
2022 proposed projects
| District | Highway | General location | Project type | Submitter | Corridors of Commerce funding requested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-535 | Duluth, MN - Superior, WI (I-535 Bridge) | Preservation for Freight | Duluth - Superior MPO (Metropolitan Interstate Council or MIC) | $1,584,000,000 |
| Metro | 494 | I-494 between 35W and TH 77 | E-ZPass Expansion | I-494 Corridor Commission | $131,000,000 |
| 3 | I-94 | Albertville to Monticello | Lane Additions - Both Directions | City of Otsego | $100,300,000 |
| 3 | I-94 | Albertville to Monticello | Duplicate | City of Dayton | $100,300,000 |
| 3 | I-94 | Albertville to Monticello | Duplicate | City of St. Michael | $100,300,000 |
| Metro | 13 | TH 13 Corridor from Quentin Avenue in Savage to Nicollet Avenue in Burnsville | Grade Separation | Scott County | $100,000,000 |
| 3 | 10 & 169 | TH 10/169 in southeast Elk River between TH 101 and Anoka County | Grade Separation | City of Elk River | $89,000,000 |
| Metro | I-35 | Interstate 35 between CSAH 46 and CSAH 70 and CSAH 50 between 172nd Street and I35 south ramps in Lakeville Mn | Interchange Expansion | Dakota County | $77,485,640 |
| 3 | I-94 | I-94 between Albertville and Monticello | 4 to 6 Lane Expansion | Wright County | $66,800,000 |
| Metro | 65 | TH 65 between 103rd Avenue NE and 117th Avenue NE in the City of Blaine. | Grade Separation | City of Blaine | $59,930,000 |
| Metro | 65 | TH 65 between 103rd Avenue NE and 117th Avenue NE in the City of Blaine. | Duplicate | Anoka County | $59,930,000 |
| Metro | 494 | I-494 and 35W in Bloomington and Richfield, Minnesota | E-ZPass Implementation | City of Bloomington Minnesota | $57,000,000 |
| 3 | I-94 | Albertville to Monticello - Westbound | Lane Addition - Westbound Only | City of Albertville | $50,300,000 |
| 3 | i-94 | Monticello to Albertville - Eastbound | Lane Addition - Eastbound Only | City of Monticello | $50,300,000 |
| 3 | 10 | US Highway 10 and Minnesota Trunk Highway 25 | Grade Separation | City of Becker | $45,403,000 |
| Metro | 77 | In the City of Apple Valley on TH 77 (Cedar Ave.), from 138th St. north to 35E | Lane Expansion | City of Apple Valley | $43,773,000 |
| Metro | 55 | Trunk Highway 55 from Arrowhead Drive to County Road 19 | 2 to 4 Lane Expansion | Highway 55 Corridor Coalition | $43,000,000 |
| Metro | 36 & 120 | The junction of TH 36 and TH 120 (Century Avenue). | Grade Separation | Washington County Public Works | $43,000,000 |
| 6 | 14 | Intersection of Trunk Highway 14 and County State Aid Highway 44 in Olmsted County | Grade Separation | Olmsted County | $41,200,000 |
| Metro | 5 | Trunk Highway 5 from 80th St. in the City of Victoria to Century Boulevard in the City of Chanhassen, excluding the segment from Rolling Acres Road (CSAH 13) to Minnewashta Parkway | 2-4 Lane Expansion | Carver County | $40,060,000 |
| 3 | 169 | US 169/CSAH 4 Rural Safety and Mobility Interchange Project, Zimmerman, MN | Grade Separation | City of Zimmerman | $37,400,000 |
| 3 | 15 & 23 | MN-23 concurrent with MN-15 in St. Cloud | Grade Separation | Saint Cloud Area Planning Organization | $36,500,000 |
| 3 | 210 & 371 | Junction of Trunk Highway 210 and Trunk Highway 371 in Baxter, Crow Wing County, MN | Grade Separation | Crow Wing County | $33,000,000 |
| 3 | 10 | TH 10 and CSAH 11 Interchange near Big Lake/Becker | Grade Separation | Sherburne County | $30,600,000 |
| Metro | 8 | TH 8 from I-35 to Karmel Avenue | 2 to 4 Lanes Expansion | Chisago County Public Works | $30,000,000 |
| Metro | 610 | TH 610 and East River Road | Interchange Expansion | City of Coon Rapids | $28,372,700 |
| Metro | 10 | On US Hwy 10 from CSAH 78 (Hanson Blvd) to CSAH 9 (Round Lake Blvd) in the City of Coon Rapids | 4 to 6 Lane Expansion | City of Andover | $28,100,000 |
| 8 | 23 | Intersection of TH23 and TH9 at New London, MN. | Grade Separation | Kandiyohi County | $26,000,000 |
| 1 | 53 | US 53 in the Cities of Eveleth and Virginia | Rock Ridge Area Schools Transportation improvements | St. Louis County | $22,200,000 |
| Metro | 62 | Highway 62 between Portland Ave. and Highway 77 (Cedar Ave.) | Auxiliary Lane | City of Richfield | $19,913,000 |
| Metro | 47 | The proposed project is a package of improvements on a 1.4 mile segment of Trunk Highway 47 (TH 47) in the City of St Francis between Cree Street NW and Ambassador Boulevard NW | Roundabout | City of St. Francis, MN | $18,000,000 |
| Metro | I-94 | Fish Lake Interchange: WB I-94/NB I-494 Merge Added Lane & WB I-94 Auxiliary Lane | Auxiliary Lane | I-94 West Corridor Coalition | $13,400,000 |
| Metro | I-94 | Fish Lake Interchange: WB I-94 Auxiliary Lane Between Hemlock Lane & Weaver Lake Road | Auxiliary Lane | City of Rogers | $8,500,000 |
| 8 | 23 | TH 23 in Willmar Township, Kandiyohi County | 2-4 Lane Expansion | Highway 23 Coalition (Acting Chair) | $8,000,000 |
| Metro | I-35E | I-35E at County Road J Interchange | Interchange Expansion | Ramsey County | $7,500,000 |
| 8 | 19 | TH 19 - Redwood Falls | Preservation for Freight | Redwood County Highway Department | $7,000,000 |
| Metro | 212 | US Highway 212 and County State Aid Highway 51 Intersection in Benton Township, Carver County | Grade Separation | Southwest Corridor Transportation Coalition | $6,000,000 |
| 6 | I-90 | On I-90, 1.5 miles west of the intersection of I-90 and CSAH 22 (Bridge Avenue, Exit 157). | New Interchange | Freeborn County | $5,500,000 |
| Metro | I-94 | Fish Lake Interchange (I-94 / I-494 / I-694): Added Lane to the I-94 WB Merge with NB I-494 - Maple Grove, MN | Auxiliary Lane | City of Maple Grove | $4,923,500 |
| 6 | 19 | Northfield | Roundabout | City of Northfield | $3,000,000 |
| Metro | I-35 | 400th Street at I35, North Branch, Minnesota | Engineering | City of North Branch | $3,000,000 |
| Metro | 169 | Intersection of US Highway 169 (US 169) at 109th Avenue North in the Cities of Champlin and Brooklyn Park | Preservation for Freight | City of Brooklyn Park | $623,700 |
| 1 | 2 & 169 | Intersection of Trunk Highway 2 and Trunk Highway 169 in Grand Rapids | Urban Capacity Improvements | City of Grand Rapids | $600,000 |
Who can submit project recommendations
You must be authorized to represent of one of the following organizations to submit a project recommendation request:
- One of our area transportation partnerships
- Any city, county, township, or tribal government
- Any formal corridor coalition from within the State
- Established as a not-for-profit organization
- Any metropolitan planning organization or regional development organization in the State
Other requirements
- You must be prepared to provide us with a resolution or letter showing the organization’s support for the project recommendation.
- Each eligible organization may submit only one project recommendation request.