The 2018 Legislative Session is off to an exciting start for the I94 West Corridor Coalition! On March 1, House File 3174 was introduced, read, and referred to the Transportation Finance Committee.
The bill, authored by Representative Knoblach, Representative Theis, and Representative O’Neill, proposes that a feasibility study for expanding or reconstructing I-94 from St. Michael to St. Cloud be provided funding and have money appropriated.
I-94 was also mentioned during a House Floor Session on Thursday, February 22 by Representative O’Neill. While discussing monetary discrepancies and overspending in regards to various state contracts, Representative O’Neill made it clear that these monetary discrepancies and overspending are important to look into, as this is money that the state could be spending on other important issues. Stating that “for anyone who thinks that $29 million is not a big deal, I want to ask you what road could you fix in your district for $29 million? I know what road I would fix in my district. I-94 could go a long way with $29 million.” and “MMB and Unions overspent by $142 million. If you think that is insignificant, think about what road could get done with that. I know what road could get done with that. You could expand I-94 all the way from Rogers to St. Cloud and still have money left over.”
Though a robust transportation bill was passed last year, transportation is still expected to be a hot topic during the 2018 Session, with I-94 being a key player.