By Rochelle Olson
State transportation officials said Wednesday that building a new Minnesota Vikings stadium in suburban Arden Hills would require $131 million in state road improvements near the property.
The figure is critical to the $1 billion stadium plan, with Gov. Mark Dayton saying that any state road improvements would need to be deducted from the state's planned $300 million overall contribution to the project. State transportation commissioner Tom Sorel said an early estimate had placed the cost at $175 million, and that new development surrounding the stadium could push the price tag to $240 million.
The Vikings had disputed the state's estimate, saying that the team's internal analysis had placed the cost at as little as $80 million, and perhaps as high as $120 million.
