Officials crowed Friday about the $86 million extension of Hwy. 610 through Maple Grove and said they are seeking design funds for the final leg that would connect 610 to Interstate 94.

Standing at the end of Hwy. 610 in Brooklyn Park, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Hennepin County Board Chairman Mike Opat and three local mayors hailed the federal stimulus funds obtained for the extension. It will carry 610 from Hwy. 169 about 3 miles west to County Road 81 in Maple Grove.

"We have been waiting on this road a long time," Maple Grove Mayor Mark Steffenson said at the news conference. "It's exciting to finally have it. It will make a difference daily for residents."

The highway's final leg to I-94 is unfunded. But Brooklyn Park Mayor Steve Lampi said he and Steffenson are supporting a bill seeking $5 million in state design money for the final 2-mile section, estimated to cost $177 million.

Klobuchar said she also will seek federal funds for the design work next month in the Senate's transportation appropriation bill. Klobuchar sits on the Senate committee that oversees America's transportation infrastructure.

Besides providing more than 2,000 construction jobs, the extension will unravel congestion at the 610-169 interchange, shorten residents' commuting time and promote north metro development, officials said.

"Right now we are kind of like bypass land. This will bring shoppers to our communities and reduce congestion a lot," said Osseo Mayor John Hall.

Area businesses are excited about the new stretch of highway and some say they will expand near the extension, said Jill Johnson, president of the North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) expects to solicit bids May 1 for the four-lane extension, the largest transportation project in the state using stimulus funds.

Work is expected to start by September and be complete by the end of 2011, officials said. Two interchange bridges have already been built at the end of the extension.

The project "will provide jobs and something to get this economy moving again," Klobuchar said.

She noted that Minnesota will receive more than $500 million in federal funding for highways, roads and bridges under the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in February. Minnesota is also receiving $94 million for mass transit.

The 610 project will complement the Hwy. 169 interchange under construction at County Road 81 and 85th Avenue. It is dubbed the "Devil's Triangle" because it is among the state's most congested and dangerous intersections. That project will also be done in 2011.

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658