MnDOT Says Stadium Road Upgrades To Cost $131M
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (WCCO) -- If the proposed new home of the Minnesota Vikings is to be built on the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant, a flood of Sunday football fans will need improved north metro roads and freeways to keep from driving into gridlock.
One part of the stadium's anticipated $1.1 billion cost will be paid for with funding from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. MnDOT officials said that they don't expect roadway improvements to be cheap.
"Getting 65,000 people or 20,000 cars in and out in an efficient manner is really important. We can't have fans getting stuck in cars for two hours after the game cause they won't come back," said Vikings' Vice President and stadium point-man Lester Bagley.
And what the 260-acre site has in ample space, it lacks in efficient freeways and interchanges. Major highway, road and bridge improvements are needed at 35W and Interstate 694, State Highway 96 and Ramsey County 10.
Gov. Mark Dayton initially put the cost of those improvements at upwards of $240 million. Recently, MnDOT engineers revised that earlier estimate to closer to $175 million.
But after careful analysis between Ramsey County and the state on Wednesday, MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel sent a letter to Gov. Dayton telling him the actual cost is much less. That figure is now expected to be about $131 million in combined local and state road work.
"From the estimate early on, we pulled together techinical folks from MnDOT and Ramsey County and were able to really get into the nitty gritty of the details," said MnDOT Spokesman Kevin Gutknecht.
While the lower infrastructure cost is welcome news, Gov. Dayton still insisted the work can't take the place of existing road projects, or be added to the state's $300 million share.
It will remain one big rub that lawmakers must still work out if they are to pass a Vikings stadium bill before next week's adjournment.
Bagley said Wednesday he remains optimistic that it can be done.
"Well, it's the last hurdle we have to clear here," Bagley said.
