MnDOT asks legislature for trunk highway funding for eight priorities including Blatnik Bridge and corridor planning

The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Wednesday asked the Senate Transportation Committee for new and continued trunk‑highway funding and statutory changes to support eight agency priorities, including construction authority for the Blatnik Bridge project, statewide corridor planning and continued funding for MPO planning.

In remarks to the committee, MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger summarized the administration’s package as “six through trunk highway funds, one with mostly trunk highway funds and a small amount of general funds, and one with the state airport fund,” and said the trunk highway fund’s current balance makes the requests feasible now.

The package includes requests to: cover operating pressures (personnel, IT and service cost inflation); add state road construction appropriation authority to spend additional federal formula dollars; create a separate spending authority for the Blatnik Bridge tied to a federal INFRA grant (MnDOT projects construction beginning in 2026 and major work through about 2030); modernize aeronautics revenues and increase the State Airport Fund; increase metropolitan planning organization (MPO) planning grants; create…