Minnesota’s Federal Infrastructure Funding
Questions remain over when and how federal dollars will be released to the state.
According to Yahoo!, Minnesota lawmakers got more details Tuesday on how the recent federal infrastructure bill will impact Minnesota’s transportation system, but questions remain over when and how that money will be released to the state.
Policy experts and state officials walked legislators through the federal infrastructure package in a joint hearing between the House Capital Investment and Transportation committees.
Minnesota will receive about $6.8 billion over the next few years for a variety of infrastructure projects. About $4.5 billion will go toward road projects, with another $302 million for bridge work and $818 million toward improving the state’s public transportation. The state will get about $68 million to help build an electric vehicle charging station network.
All that money is divided into a multitude of existing and newfound programs, some of which will require matching funding from state or local resources. In addition, state officials are busy estimating how much Minnesota may kick in if officials apply for new federal transportation grant programs.
Yet much of the funding Minnesota is set to receive isn’t technically available. While Congress passed the infrastructure package last month, federal officials have yet to formalize how that money will be appropriated, or distributed, to states. Watchdogs hope the appropriation process wraps up by the time Congress’s budget continuing resolution ends on Feb. 18.
https://news.yahoo.com/details-emerge-federal-infrastructure-funding-121600959.html