Minnesota governor’s jobs bill includes crossing safety initiatives

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has introduced a jobs bill that would invest $1.4 billion in infrastructure projects statewide, creating an estimated 39,900 Minnesota jobs.

 

“My proposals would put thousands of Minnesotans to work throughout our state,” said Gov. Dayton. “This bill will help deliver clean, affordable water to Minnesota communities and prioritizes projects that have been delayed for many years. These projects are essential to improving our state’s infrastructure. I ask the Legislature to join me in working to pass a capital investment bill this session that will support our local economies and create jobs.”

The governor said the jobs bill includes critical infrastructure projects distributed across Minnesota and balances the needs of the state, with 35 percent of projects in Greater Minnesota, 35 percent in the Twin Cities Area and 30 percent having impacts statewide. While Minnesota is in healthy fiscal shape, with a forecasted budget surplus of $1.87 billion, the governor says the bill is designed to leverage more than $600 million in private, local and federal dollars.

One of the bills initiatives is a focus on rail and pipeline safety. To improve rail safety, Gov. Dayton’s bill would fund three major grade separations, improve warning systems at highway rail crossings and quiet zones, as well as fund the construction of training centers.

The bill includes $69.6 million for highway rail grade separations in Moorhead, Prairie Island and Coon Rapids and would provide $5 million to replace highway rail grade warning systems across the state.

To help improve safety and allow trains to run quietly, the proposal would invest $10 million in a quiet zone competitive grant program for local communities and also allocate $3.5 million for the construction of an oil train derailment and pipeline safety training venue at the Camp Ripley Joint Emergency Response Training Center.

The proposal includes $2.5 million for the expansion of Minneapolis’ Emergency Operations Training Facility to provide repetitive training for first responders in rail, gas and electrical emergencies and would invest $33.3 million to construct a new State Emergency Operations Center, to help coordinate during disasters and emergencies and serve as a training center for emergency operations.

Additionally, the governor’s jobs bll would invest $10 million in competitive transportation economic development grant funding to assist communities across the state with transportation infrastructure.

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