4:01 p.m.
Thursday, December 30, 2021A major road construction project proposed for Maple Grove has just received a financial boost from the state.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has awarded Maple Grove $ 5 million to help fund the next phase of construction of Highway 610.
The money comes from the state’s Transportation Economic Development (TED) program.
Maple Grove city officials want to connect Highway 610 to Interstate-94 eastbound. Currently, the freeway only connects to I-94 West.
If Maple Grove is able to complete the 610 freeway extension, drivers will have access to I-94 east of the freeway. 610.
The city also wants to extend Highway 610 further west to connect with County Road 30.
The whole project would cost around $ 53 million. Public funds provide a useful boost in making the vision a reality.
âSo these funds, along with some of the other sources of funding that the city has been successful in reaching, put the project on the right track for construction; let’s hope for 2023, âsaid Ken Ashfeld, Maple Grove public works manager.
Ashfeld says the project is still below its target of $ 20 million, but the city is working on other sources of funding. City officials say the extension of Highway 610 will improve access to a rapidly developing area and support 10,000 new or existing jobs within five years.
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