The Minnesota Department of Transportation didn't have enough money for a ramp from westbound Hwy. 610 to eastbound Interstate 94 in Maple Grove when the agency built the interchange and the last segment of highway in the northwest metro in 2016.
It's now in the works. The ramp is one of four in the metro to get funding to improve transportation infrastructure supporting economic growth.
The money comes from MnDOT's Transportation Economic Development program, which targets infrastructure projects that create economic development opportunities and jobs. The agency collaborates with the state Department of Employment and Economic Development and other agencies in making its selections.
The Hwy. 610 project will improve access to a rapidly developing area and support 10,000 new or existing jobs within five years, MnDOT said.
MnDOT also plans to build an exit ramp from southbound I-35W to Buck Hill Road and County Road 42 near the Burnsville Center. The ramp will support redevelopment in the area and bring as many as 350 new jobs in the next five years, the agency said.
In Blaine, MnDOT awarded funding to build a new frontage road west of Hwy. 65 between 99th and 109th avenues to improve traffic flow on multiple roads and expand access for multiple modes of transportation.
And money also will go to upgrade the intersection of Hwy. 41 and County Road 10 in Chaska to enhance mobility and safety on both roads.
"The projects create new connections to current and future jobs, improve safety and support efficient routes for commercial haulers to move goods," said MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher.