Walz will present his infrastructure spending plan at dam battered by floods

Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce his 2025 infrastructure plan Thursday at the battered Rapidan Dam near Mankato.

The governor’s proposal is an early step in the process, and comes after the 2024 legislative session adjourned without a bonding bill, leaving some local and statewide projects without public funding.

Walz’s visit to Mankato, his former home as a teacher and congressman, will include a visit to the MN Ag Expo, a spokeswoman said.

He is expected to announce his bonding bill proposal at the Rapidan Dam, which made national headlines last year after flooding causing the dam to partially fail. The west bank of the river flooded over the dam, with erosion pulling in a nearby house and destroying the Rapidan Dam Store, a longtime local business.

Walz proposed a $982 million capital investment plan last year when Democrats controlled both chambers of the Legislature. A package of projects was approved in the state House but failed to pass the Senate before a midnight deadline to adjourn.

Minnesota lawmakers typically put together a package of construction projects across the state in the even-numbered years, but lawmakers have broken from that convention over the last decade. Democrats passed a $2.6 billion infrastructure proposal in 2023.

Unlike other spending proposals, bills that borrow money require a supermajority of more than three-fifths in both chambers of the Legislature, meaning both DFL and GOP votes are needed for passage this year.

Watch here for live updates on Walz’s plan.

Briana Bierschbach of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.