The City of Plymouth received good news today about its quest to add a third general-purpose lane to I-494. The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced that it has identified construction project savings that will allow it to fund a third general-purpose lane on I-494.

The news is a major step toward adding a permanent third lane to I-494 from Highway 55 to East Fish Lake Road – the last two lane stretch of the I-494 corridor. The Plymouth City Council has been advocating for a third lane for 15 years.

Plymouth Mayor Kelli Slavik said that the funding news was a major victory. “We’re thrilled. It means a lot to our community – to the residents who just want to get on with their lives and not sit in traffic jams and to businesses that need to move goods and services to and through Plymouth,” she said. Slavik added, “It’s also great news to the two companies – TCF and Protolabs – that plan to move 1,700 jobs to Plymouth.”

Slavik and Plymouth city council members have been frequent visitors to the state capitol, where they have met with legislators and transportation commissioners, and have testified before legislative committees in support of a third lane for I-494. Last week, Slavik discussed the I-494 third lane with Governor Mark Dayton.

With funding now identified, the Metropolitan Council must approve plans to expand the corridor. The Metropolitan Council was slated to hear about the I-494 third lane as an information item at a meeting today. The regional planning agency is tentatively scheduled to consider a third lane for Plymouth as an action item later this week.

MnDOT plans to add the third lane in conjunction with a three-year maintenance project that will affect I-494 from I-394 to I-94. MnDOT will reconstruct pavement, replace 6 bridges, repair 11 bridges and add a general-purpose lane from Highway 55 to I-94 on both sides of the road. The project will start this summer and be completed in 2016, pending inclusion in the Metropolitan Council Transportation Policy Plan.