Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Proudly Serving the 6th District of Minnesota

Transportation

Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill – FY 2010 - 2016

Quality transportation infrastructure is critical for growing the economy and improving your quality of life. Ensuring high quality requires a partnership effort between your federal, state, and local governments as well as strong input and feedback from you, the people.

States develop short- and long-range transportation plans with local and public input, prioritizing the needs of the state and local communities.  Those projects are eligible for federal funds that are largely collected through the federal gas tax and held in a Highway Trust Fund.

Every six years, Congress considers legislation to help prioritize those projects.  The previous transportation authorization bill (known as SAFETEA-LU) will expire on September 30, 2009, and Congress is currently beginning the work on a new authorization bill.  As part of this process, Members of Congress are given the opportunity to make high-priority project (HPP) requests to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to help in the prioritization process.  In essence, these HPP requests mark a Congressional “Stamp of Approval” on projects that may be funded through the Highway Trust Fund. 

This authorization process adheres to strict oversight and accountability standards designed to ensure transparency and public scrutiny over every project at local, state, and federal levels -- standards that are lacking in the corrupt and broken appropriations earmarking process, which has drawn such extraordinary bipartisan criticism in recent years. 

In fact, all too often, the appropriations process actually undermines the open, transparent and accountable authorizing process by jumping politics ahead of merit. 

The authorization process is entirely separate from the appropriations earmarking process – two separate committees, two separate purposes, two separate procedures. 

The American people are repulsed by the appropriations earmarking process.  I agree with them and will not seek appropriations earmarks until the process can be fixed and based on open merit, not backroom politics.  The reauthorization process is the appropriate venue for addressing local transportation needs and I’m pleased to participate in that process.

There are many meritorious projects in Minnesota's Sixth District.  I have submitted 5 HPP requests for those of the highest priority for the District.  All of these projects have been fully vetted at the local and state level, with public input.  All of them are listed on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) or Long Range Plan. 

St. Croix River Crossing Project in Stillwater and Oak Park Heights:

$21.1 million for construction of a new four-lane bridge across the St. Croix River at Oak Park Heights. This phase includes Highway 36 reconstruction, the Oakgreen/Greeley and Osgood intersections and the north and south frontage roads in Stillwater and Oak Park Heights. Work would be on the west end of the St. Croix Crossing Project on the Minnesota Approach. Congestion and crashes will be reduced by improving the existing four-lane facility and intersections, multiple jobs will result from construction of the project, and its completion will make the area more attractive to current and future employers. Minnesota and Wisconsin are each responsible for their respective approach roadway improvements in each state and are splitting the cost of the river bridge 50/50.

TH 15/33rd Street South Interchange ROW and Construction in St. Cloud and Waite Park:

$6.4 million to purchase right-of-way and construct TH 15/33rd Street South interchange in the Cities of St. Cloud and Waite Park.  The interchange project is part of an overall plan for a future beltway around the St. Cloud Metropolitan Area.  This project will provide access to existing 33rd Street South, which is planned for expansion to 4 lanes from TH 15 to Stearns CSAH 75.  The project will minimize crashes and fatalities and provide south St. Cloud access to TH 15 to relieve the currently congested Stearns CSAH 75/2nd Street South.

Highway 55 Preservation Project in Wright County and Hennepin County:

$6 million to allow for additional environmental documentation, engineering, corridor preservation through right-of-way acquisition, and spot safety improvements. The overall project is to upgrade Highway 55 to a 4-lane divided design from I-494 in Hennepin County to the western city limits of Annandale in Wright County.

I-94 Auxiliary Lanes in Hennepin County and Wright County:

$6.25 million for final design engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction of a westbound auxiliary lane on I-94 from TH 101 to NW of Lebeaux Ave. An auxiliary lane will allow vehicles to leave the heavily traveled through lanes sooner than they do today.  The slower moving, exiting vehicles would have a safer place to decelerate in anticipation of the upcoming exit.  This is critical since the TH 101 interchange is currently a major bottleneck with very heavy traffic volumes exiting and entering I-94.  The auxiliary lane will also provide sufficient distance for entering vehicles to accelerate and merge into the heavy traffic streams on I-94.

University Drive Bridge Expansion, City of St. Cloud, Stearns County and Sherburne County:

$500,000 to expand the existing University Drive Bridge deck from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. The project will provide needed additional capacity to the University Drive Bridge, which currently carries approximately 22,000 vehicles per day and is forecasted to carry approximately 43,000 vehicles per day in the year 2030.  The University Drive Bridge is also critical parallel corridor to address traffic needs along TH 23/Division Street.  The overall project involves expansion of University Drive to 4 lanes from 5th Avenue South to TH 10, including an expanded University Drive Bridge and grade separated interchange at TH 10.