The group says legislators and the public do not appear to be fully aware of the gravity of the transportation problem in the Northstar Corridor. The Northstar Corridor, an 82-mile stretch along highways 10 and 47 from St. Cloud to Minneapolis, is the fastest growingarea in Minnesota.
Large appropriations are facing a tough time in the Minnesota Legislature this year, which is faced with a $2.3-billion budget shortfall.
"The state of Minnesota has not provided the infrastructure to support our current growth, much less support the projected future growth," says St. Cloud Mayor JohnEllenbecker. "This is unacceptable. We are pleading with the Legislature tofund Northstar."
The costs of relying on a roads-only approach are astronomical. To build Northstar will cost the state $120 million; just to expand Highway 10 from Minneapolis to St. Cloud would cost nearly $1 billion.
Supporters of the Northstar commuter rail project signed a letting stating "Northstar commuter rail is cost-effective, flexible and has strong bipartisan support. We urge the state legislature to take action now to provide $120 million for the Northstar commuterrail project. Bring commuter rail transportation to the State of Minnesota before our roads -- and our economy -- are faced with gridlock."
The letter was delivered to the House and Senate authors of the capital bonding legislation, Sen. Keith Langseth and Rep. Jim Knoblach. A conference committeehas been appointed to work out differences in the two bills.
Gov. Jesse Ventura proposed the full $120 million for Northstar in his capital bonding proposal. The Senate provides funding for Northstar while the House does not.
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