It’s not just you. Here’s why Twin Cities road work is ‘more intense’ this summer.

Traffic barrels and frustrated drivers have been ubiquitous this summer in the Twin Cities.

And the road to congestion has been paved, in part, by an influx of state and federal transportation dollars flowing into repair and improvement projects across the metro area.

In 2021, federal lawmakers and former President Joe Biden approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that pumped $1 trillion into improving the nation’s roads, bridges, railways and other public works. Then, in 2023, state lawmakers approved new taxes and fees that will raise billions for Minnesota’s highways.

“There’s increased investment across the board,” said Charles Carlson, executive director for metropolitan transportation services at the Metropolitan Council.

Many of those new dollars have filtered through the transportation planning process and are paying for some of the road projects snarling Twin Cities traffic for now.

While the raw number of road projects across Minnesota is similar to previous years — about 180 this year vs. 193 last year and 171 the year before — Minnesota Department of Transportation officials agree that this summer’s work has been remarkable.

“It’s amazingly been a lot more intense than previous years,” Khani Sahebjam, MnDOT’s metro district engineer, said at a recent Metropolitan Council meeting.

The federal legislation included $325 million specifically for bridge repairs in Minnesota over a five-year period. That helped accelerate repairs to the Interstate 94 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and the Dunwoody bridge on Interstate 394 west of downtown Minneapolis, Carpenter said.

Federal dollars also funded a number of other projects including Interstate 494 in the south metro, and Hwys. 5 and 61 in St. Paul and Maplewood, he said.

The federal spigot could be tightened after 2026 when some of the IIJA programs wind down. But the 2023 state law will continue to pour resources into MnDOT’s coffers. The department expects the law will contribute an additional $5.2 billion for the state’s highways over the next two decades.

Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who co-sponsored the state bill, says the spending is essential to maintaining and improving the roads and highways that keep people and commerce moving.

“It’s our turn, this generation’s turn now,” he said. “We’ve been standing on the shoulders and resting on the laurels of our parents and grandparents.”

In the meantime, Sahebjam said MnDOT is trying its best to minimize the inconvenience of projects underway now. Some will be wrapping up in the next few weeks before the State Fair and the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason starts, he said.