The Minnesota Department of Transportation made a second round of funding available to cities, counties, ports, waterways, railroads, and airports statewide on July 1 to improve the safety and mobility of freight transport.

[Above photo by the Minnesota DOT.]

The agency said up to $56 million may be available for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 via its Minnesota Highway Freight Program for projects affecting any public road, railroad crossing, or intermodal facility, if that project provides a public freight benefit. The application deadline for that funding is September 28.

The Minnesota DOT noted in a statement that some examples of freight projects that can be funded via its highway freight program include: at-grade railroad crossings improvements; weigh station improvements; truck parking; freight mobility projects, such as interchanges or bypass lanes to address freight bottlenecks; and intermodal projects such as airport transfer stations, ports, and waterways.

The agency said its highway freight program funds come from the federal National Highway Freight Program, which provide states fiscal support to make freight movement improvements.