Minnesota Road Projects Underway

Recent Minnesota figures have shown increasing construction expenditure right across the state, with projects as diverse as high-speed railroads to major new hotels breaking ground in almost every state as well. For heavy equipment operators, this means more opportunities, more demand, and a healthy career, with the industry growing steadily.

One large construction initiative has just launched in Minnesota, where a massive program of road improvement, under the ‘Corridors of Commerce’ initiative, has been given $400 million of funding for work this year. That makes it one of the larger road projects in the country, and it sees four individual projects break ground to deliver improved traffic flow and reduce congestion right across the state.

Minnesota Road Projects Include

Converting Highway 169 into a freeway, the addition of MnPASS lanes on Highway 494, expanding I-94 from four to six lanes, and construction of a new turbine interchange between northbound I-35W to westbound I-494 traffic. Projects were chosen from numerous options based on the modeled effect on traffic congestion and throughput, with these four offerings having the broadest effect on the traffic problems that Minnesota has been struggling with for a while.

Of course, with such a significant amount of road construction, heavy equipment operators will be in high demand throughout the state, with a variety of machinery in use across these projects, including motor graders. Rollers, excavators, wheel loaders, and cranes. It represents a terrific opportunity for skilled operators, however, it is not restricted to Minnesota road building. While this project is a fitting example of the effects of the country focusing on improving infrastructure, this is just one project.

Decisions to invest in new infrastructure, or to improve existing provisions such as this one are being taken in every state, and funding is being given to such projects almost every week. This road project at $400 million is a large one, but there are new construction projects starting up all over the country in a similar way. Some are larger, some smaller, some are building roads, some railroad lines, and others are transforming derelict land into affordable places to live, but all require the skills of heavy machinery operators, crane operators, and other construction professionals.

All over the country, as infrastructure is being recognized for its importance, investment is growing, and for skilled construction workers, opportunities for well-paid, satisfying careers are growing with them. As the country sets itself to rebuild, it is the construction workers who will the backbone of those efforts.