Minnesota Statutes Economic Development and Planning (Ch. 116J-116O) § 116J.436. Transportation economic development infrastructure program

Subdivision 1.Grant program established; purpose. The transportation economic development infrastructure program is created to foster interagency coordination between the Departments of Transportation and Employment and Economic Development to finance infrastructure to create economic development opportunities, jobs, and improve all types of transportation systems statewide.

Subd. 2.Eligible projects. Funds appropriated for the program must be used to fund predesign, design, acquisition of land, construction, reconstruction, and infrastructure improvements that will promote economic development, increase employment, and improve transportation systems to accommodate private investment and job creation.

Subd. 3.Trunk highway projects. Money in the program shall not be used on trunk highway improvements, but can be used for needed infrastructure improvements and nontrunk highway improvements in coordination with trunk highway improvement projects undertaken by the Department of Transportation.

Subd. 4.Application. The commissioners of transportation and employment and economic development shall design an application process and selection process to distribute funding to local units of government for publicly owned infrastructure using criteria that take into account: job creation; increase in local tax base; level of private investment; leverage of nonstate funds; improvement to the transportation system to serve the project area; and appropriate geographic balance between the metropolitan area and greater Minnesota.