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Brainerd committee votes to return MDOT pedestrian‑bridge funds, citing delivery risk
Summary
The committee voted to return a federal/MDOT grant for the Highway 210 (Lum Park) pedestrian bridge after staff said the city could not reliably deliver a multi‑million‑dollar project within the federal timeframe and ATP approval for a one‑year swap was not guaranteed.
Brainerd City committee members voted to return MDOT funds for the proposed Highway 210 (Lum Park) pedestrian bridge rather than retain the grant and risk failing to deliver the project on the federal timeline.
City engineer Dean told the committee staff had learned that while MDOT had identified other candidates to swap the funds into fiscal 2027, that swap still requires approval from the Area Transportation Partnership (ATP). Dean said a prior estimate showed the city would need to be "ready to deliver the project by the end of fiscal 2026" to keep the federal funds and that typical federally funded projects commonly require three to four years of project development. "If we can't deliver by the deadline, the funds actually go back to the feds," Dean said.
Committee members raised concerns about the substantial local share the project would require if the city kept the grant. One member noted that when combined with other costs the local obligation could exceed $4 million beyond the $1.3 million federal grant. Councilman Jagger and others said a one‑year swap to 2027 would still leave the city with a tight schedule and uncertain ATP approval.
Given those risks—short delivery windows, the need to secure additional funding, and the ATP approval uncertainty—the committee moved to return the MDOT funds. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
