Sen. Jasinski Advances Minnesota with funding for roads and bridges

Minnesota Senate Republicans are Advancing Minnesota

Senator John Jasinski (R-Faribault) and Senate Republicans have honored an early session promise to deliver much-needed funding for roads and bridges throughout Minnesota. Their ten year, $3.6 billion transportation bill, which passed the Senate Thursday night, would repair or replace 8,800 lane-miles and 200 bridges – including $90 million for the urgent highway 14 expansion from Owatonna to Dodge Center. The Republican transportation bill doesn’t raise any gas or sales taxes.

“You asked us to take care of roads and bridges, and we listened,” said Sen. Jasinski. “Besides health care, transportation – and highway 14 in particular – is the issue I hear about most. Finishing the expansion is item number one on my to-do list, and last night we took a big step to getting it done. Most importantly, I’m proud we were able to do it without raising taxes on working Minnesotans.”

The Senate Republican plan includes $2.8 billion in new, on-going funding in large part from re-directing existing vehicle-related sales taxes. One-time funding is made up of a mix of trunk highway bonds and federal grants. Cities, counties, and townships would see a quick boost of $148 million over the next biennium to address their own specific transportation needs.

“We’ve been talking about the highway 14 expansion for almost half a century now,” continued Sen. Jasinski. “We’ve made progress, but with every year that passes it gets more and more urgent. I’m proud we made it a priority in our transportation bill.”

The bill passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 38-28.

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