A $10 million jump in funding for street and bridge work this year in Minneapolis is being detailed Wednesday by city officials.
"Plans call for a 42 percent increase over last year's investments," Mayor R.T. Rybak's office said in a statement. Emphasis will be on upgrading nearly 55 miles of road spread throughout the city.
This season's spending is growing to $33.5 million, from $23.5 million last year.
Being highlighted at a news conference Wednesday afternoon with Rybak, City Council Member Don Samuels and Public Works Director Steve Kotke is a project that will provide "vital connections" between north and south Minneapolis by crossing underneath Interstate 394, the statement from the mayor's office added.
The Van White Memorial Boulevard project extends Freemont Avenue N. from Glenwood Avenue, over rail lines and under I-394 into south Minneapolis and connects with Dunwoody Boulevard. It is expected to open this summer after two years of work.
Samuels has said the extension is not only practical from a transportation standpoint, but it connects neighborhoods with varying racial, social and economic backgrounds.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
