Senator Kathy Saltzman joins Senate Bonding Committee during tour of Washington County

State Senator Kathy Saltzman was joined by a delegation of local Washington County officials in welcoming the Senate Capital Investment Committee to special hearings held December 12 and 13 to review local bonding projects being proposed in Washington County.

The first day of hearings, held at the Union Depot in St. Paul, featured transportation and transit improvement projects in the East Metro Region. Included in these proposals are the I-94 Corridor between St. Paul and the St. Croix River and a High Speed Rail Line connecting St. Paul and Chicago. Both of these projects would connect to the proposed East Metro transportation hub to be located at the historic Union Depot in St. Paul.

As she introduced the I-94 Corridor to her Senate colleagues on the Capitol Investment Committee, Saltzman noted that while this project may be behind other metro corridors in terms of development, the traffic on this corridor is equal to that of corridors already targeted for transit and congestion improvements.

When Saltzman came into office last January, there were no plans for any improvements along the I-94 corridor through 2030. By spearheading the creation of the I-94 corridor and joining the Eastern Transportation Alliance, Saltzman is working to change that. She stressed that cities and counties are working closely with local Chambers and businesses to advocate for a stronger regional transportation system. She pointed out that these improvements are critical to driving economic development in the region.

Local officials joining Saltzman at the Union Depot included State Representative Julie Bunn (DFL-Lake Elmo), Washington County Commissioners Greg Orth (Woodbury) and Myra Peterson (Cottage Grove), Lake Elmo Mayor Dean Johnston, Woodbury City Administrator Clint Gridley, and Michael Rogers, Washington County Associate Transportation Planner.

The Senate Committee returned to Washington County for a second day to visit the Washington County Landfill in Lake Elmo, the Stillwater Flood Levee Project, and the Hwy 36 frontage road improvement request in Oak Park Heights.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has made the Washington County landfill site its top priority for clean up. Earlier this year it was identified as a source of the chemical PFBA found in the water supply of both Lake Elmo and Woodbury. Saltzman pointed out to committee members that 3M has voluntarily committed up to $8 million for remediation of this site.

After hearing from Stillwater Ken Harycki about the need for a permanent flood levee in downtown Stillwater, Saltzman reminded committee members of the recent floods in Southeastern Minnesota. "Preventing damage to our historic downtown business district is a much smarter investment than coming back later to request flood relief," she noted. The Stillwater Levee project qualifies for significant federal dolllars, but matching state funds are required.

The committee's last stop was in Oak Park Heights to hear from City Adminstrator Eric Johnson about the need to rebuild the pothole-ridden Hwy. 36 frontage roads. Improvements to the road are considered by MnDOT to be part of a St. Croix River Crossing project. However, that project is not scheduled until 2024. Saltzman pointed out that without the state's help, this situation is another example of local governments being asked to pick up the cost of road improvements that should be the state's responsibility. "Delaying needed projects such as this," she said, "underscores the need to pass a comprehensive transportation funding package."