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Dakota County getting $17.8M for road projects

Stimulus money will pay for the 10 county plans, which should be complete by 2010.

By KATIE HUMPHREY, Star Tribune

Last update: June 20, 2009 - 9:56 PM

Gravel becomes blacktop in Rosemount.

A washboard-like road in Lakeville gets smoother.

And there's a fix on the way for freeway ramps that tie up traffic in Eagan.

Those are just some of the road projects that will pop up in Dakota County between now and 2010, thanks to a financial boost from the federal stimulus package.

All told, projects in Dakota County have been tagged for $17.8 million of the $502 million the Minnesota Department of Transportation has received for road and highway projects from the stimulus. Of that statewide total, $250 million was dedicated to metro-area projects and dished out by the Metropolitan Council.

Eyeing the list items at a recent Dakota County Board meeting, Commissioner Paul Krause said, "I'm pretty happy with the amount and number of projects that we're getting."

Most of the 10 projects were on wish lists but absent from construction calendars until the federal money started flowing. Now, many will be in the works this fall and all of them should be done by 2010.

Take Holyoke and Highview avenues in Lakeville, for example. City engineer Keith Nelson said they were cracked and bumpy, especially in the winter.

"That's been chronic for the past two years," Nelson said. "We had to do something, but we just didn't have the funding until this came along."

Now, the stimulus funding will cover most, if not all, of the $940,000 project, depending on bids. Construction will start later this year and the work will be done before winter, Nelson said.

Many projects led by cities or counties won the stimulus money competition, in part, by offering local matches. For example, the city of Mendota Heights joined forces with Visitation Academy and St. Thomas Academy to gather $90,000 in order to land $310,000 for a roundabout on Mendota Heights Road at Visitation Drive.

Some of the road resurfacing and traffic signal projects aren't dramatic changes, but even little projects pay off, said Kevin Walker of MnDOT.

"A lot of the projects, they are anywhere from one million to three million [dollars]," Walker said. "They are small projects but they are really helpful."

Katie Humphrey • 952-882-9056

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