Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Minneapolis an Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) grant for their proposal to improve traffic congestion on the I-35W corridor. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Council submitted their grant proposal to the department earlier this spring which includes Bus Rapid Transit capabilities into downtown Minneapolis and park and ride transit alternatives to commuters in the north metro area. In light of the I-35W bridge tragedy, Senators Coleman and Klobuchar wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters on Aug. 6 requesting expedited consideration of this grant in order to alleviate congestion resulting from the collapse. The $133.3 million in funding will be used for these important mitigation initiatives.

"With the catastrophic loss of the I-35W bridge, concerns about traffic congestion have become even more serious. This new federal funding is very timely and important, paving the way for transportation alternatives and highway upgrades to keep our traffic moving. I applaud the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, and the numerous cities and local governments who helped develop and support this innovative plan to upgrade our transportation infrastructure," said Klobuchar.

"The funding announced today by Secretary Peters is absolutely critical to mitigating transportation congestion in the Twin Cities in the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse," Coleman said. The I-35W corridor is one of the most important transportation arteries in our state and I applaud Sec. Peters for her expedited consideration of this proposal to improve the corridor in both the short and long term."

Specifically, the agreement includes provisions to establish a Bus Rapid Transit lane into downtown Minneapolis, buses and park and ride facilities for the North Metro suburbs along the I-35W corridor, the conversion of a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane for an 11.5 mile stretch of the I-35W corridor south of I-94, and transit improvements along Highway 77. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Council believe some of the transit alternatives provided in this agreement can be up and running in the next few months.