Minnesota is slated to receive more than $600 million in transportation funding under the stimulus package passed by the House earlier this week. While this figure is almost certain to change as the Senate ramps up the stimulus debate next week, it provides a jumping off point for considering what this might mean for the state.

How will this money be spent?

The vast majority of these funds — $478 million — would go for highways and bridges. An additional $125 million would go toward transit projects, which could include bus purchases or funding for the planned Central Corridor light-rail line. Finally there’s a $16 million pot reserved for “fixed guideway modernization,” which includes upkeep and repair of existing train lines such as the Hiawatha light-rail line.

How did they come up with this $600 million figure?

The proposed stimulus package contains roughly $40 billion in transportation funding nationwide. Each state’s share is derived from existing funding formulas that are calculated every five years to make sure federal transportation dollars are doled out equitably. This system is being utilized instead of the much-derided earmark process, whereby legislators cajole funds for pet projects in their districts.

Who will decide how this money is spent?

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) will be responsible for allocating 70 percent of the funds. The remainder will be disbursed by local government agencies such as the Metropolitan Council.

Do we know exactly which transportation projects will be funded?

No. Mn/DOT is (understandably) loath to spell out details until the exact scope of the stimulus package is known. But at the request of Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the agency has put together a list of highway, transit and bike projects that are likely to qualify for funds. The highway list, for instance, contains 79 projects that would cost more than $500 million. Among the big ticket items: $86 million to widen part of Highway 610 in the northern suburbs to make it a four-lane freeway, and $17.5 million for improvements to Highway 7 between Clara City and Montevideo.

How were these projects selected?

The bulk of the projects are included in Minnesota’s State Transportation Improvement Plan, a document that lays out funding priorities for the next four years. According to Mn/DOT, emphasis will be given to projects that can be started quickly and that will create jobs. (See this planning document for a breakdown of the agency’s priorities in funding roads and bridges.)

So how many jobs will all this money create?

Nobody knows for sure (of course). The Federal Highway Administration estimates that 30,000 jobs are “supported” by each $1 billion spent on roads and bridges. This doesn’t mean these are necessarily new jobs. Manufacturers of highway safety vests, for instance, will likely see a jump in sales that should benefit existing employees and perhaps prompt additional hires.

When will the exact scope of the stimulus package become clearer?

The Senate is slated to begin debating its version of a stimulus package on Monday, with a vote expected later in the week. Then the two legislative bodies will need to reconcile their competing bills. President Obama wants a stimulus package enacted by mid-February.

(Image courtesy of Mn/DOT.)

The accolades began with committee Chairman Steve Murphy. “I think the governor made the best possible choice that he could make,” gushed the Red Wing DFLer. “I believe you’re one of the best commissioners that he’s ever appointed.”

The top Republican on the committee, Michael Jungbauer, praised Sorel for his communication skills. “What I’ve really seen since you’ve been here is that coming together as a team,” said the East Bethel Republican. “I’m really excited to have you on board.”

This was a far cry from the scene at the Capitol just under a year ago when Democrats ousted Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau as the state’s top transportation official. Molnau had been under fierce criticism since the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the 35-W Bridge and was kicked to the curb by a 44-22 party-line vote.

Sorel didn’t receive praise from everyone on the committee, however. “I’ve been on this committee 18 years, I believe,” said Sen. Dick Day, a Republican from Owatonna. “I’ve never met the commissioner. So I don’t think his communication [skills] are all that great — in dealing with me anyway.”

Despite this sour note, the committee voted unanimously (Day included) to back Sorel’s confirmation.

Though it won’t be built for another 20 years, MnDOT has already started planning for the Minnesota River crossing that officials say will serve as a valuable link between U.S. highways 169 and 212 through Scott and Carver counties. Some advocates for the manufactured homes’ tenants, however, are concerned about the project’s social justice implications.

In some route alignments, more than 1,000 people could be displaced. Another would relocate 180 people. Those likely to bear most of the burden are low-income, minority residents, advocates contend. The highway’s environmental impact study acknowledges the disparate impact, which federal guidelines require it to report.

Continued: Click “Read more”Although construction of the river crossing is still decades away, the parks’ residents are already feeling the effects: Their property values are declining while questions remain about prospects to sell the homes. In response, the parks’ advocates are asking that MnDOT reroute the highway to avoid the developments altogether or devise a mutually agreed-upon mitigation plan. They intend to make those demands at a June 13 public meeting in Shakopee’s Jackson Heights.

The highway project’s adverse impact on manufactured home parks is but one case study in an emerging statewide trend. Since 2000, 14 manufactured home parks have fallen prey to highway expansion and other redevelopment projects, according to information from the All Parks Alliance for Change, a St. Paul-based advocacy group that lobbies on behalf of the parks’ tenants.

In this case, four manufactured home parks are endangered, including Jackson Heights, Mobile Manor, Bonnevista and Riverview. Four of the bridge routes under consideration would take out nearly 500 of the boxlike dwellings, according to the environmental impact study. (MnDOT is slated to decide on a route by the end of the year.)

Currently, an alignment that would cut through Jackson Heights, the 65-dwelling community in Shakopee, appears to be the most attractive option for the highway’s planners, even though it notes a heavy environmental justice impact under federal guidelines. Its population is 90 percent Latino, and 38 percent of its residents are children.

Felix Diaz, who lives in Jackson Heights and is part of its residents’ association, is worried about losing his home. Moving would mean pulling his children out of the school where they’ve built relationships with teachers and other students. “It’s a big change for life. The kids would have to start over,” he said. Additionally, at Jackson Heights, everyone knows each other. “We feel the park is safe. If we move to a different place, we don’t know what will be going on there.” 

Krystal Klein, an organizer from the All Parks Alliance for Change, said the houses provide some of the area’s most affordable housing, which is limited. People typically own the structures but not the lots they’re sited on. (Unlike the more old-fashioned manufactured homes, they aren’t mobile, making it costly and sometimes impossible to simply relocate them.)

Further, uprooted families have trouble finding other affordable options nearby, especially with anticipated zoning changes and a dearth of lower-priced housing options near their jobs in Chaska or Shakopee.  In the interim, landlords no longer have any incentive to maintain the parks, Klein said. In a survey with the parks’ tenants, “We asked people how they felt about the project. We didn’t get any positive answers,” she said. “They’ve been left out of the process.”

That five of the six options for the highway pose difficulties to the parks is an unintended consequence of the expansion, according to MnDOT’s Diane Langenbach, who says that the state agency always strives to be conscientious of project outcomes. “The areas where the parks are just happen to be good locations for the transportation system,” said Langenbach, who added that the options are “far from ideal.”

In the case of the route alignment that would cut through Jackson Heights, she admits that it’s not ideal, but believes that it “still offers some opportunities for mitigation that might be workable.” She pointed to increasing congestion on the highway, one of the most heavily trafficked roadways in the state. On top of that, the corridor’s low bridges make the roads vulnerable to flooding. MnDOT has to tread lightly in other territories, as well, she said, which includes businesses, the Historic Chaska Cubs ballfield and the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area trails, among others.

“Usually one route stands out as the shining star, but in this case, none of the options seem entirely ideal,” she said.