ST. PAUL – State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said he is displeased with Tuesday’s announcement that MnDOT is awarding $469 million to fund four Corridors of Commerce program projects near the Twin Cities. Elk River and St. Michael sites are the deepest in Greater Minnesota set to receive funding.
“I’m really disappointed in the list they came up with,” Swedzinski said. “I really felt we had a lot of strong projects in southwest Minnesota, in rural Minnesota in general: Highway 23, Highway 212, the overpasses in Marshall. I really feel they didn’t get the fair shake they deserved with the department. This metro-centric thinking that we’re dealing with here on ditch mowing, on buffers and the rest, now it seems to be playing through with the awarding of the dollars here with the Corridors of Commerce program.
“I want to thank all the people who have worked so hard, especially those on the Highway 23 Coalition that have worked so hard in conjunction with each other and in partnership with each other to come with a unified voice moving forward on the projects that are important to southwest Minnesota. I appreciate the work they’re doing but we’ve got more work do to, obviously.”
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