It was a short, but important bus ride for U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday morning in south Minneapolis.
The former South Bend, Indiana mayor and Democratic presidential candidate joined Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey on one of Metro Transit's electric buses to tour part of the Lake Street corridor stretching from the Uptown Transit Station to Mercado Central.
Secretary Buttigieg spoke about the $12 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant aimed at improving transit along Lake Street.
"So much of the life and the vibrancy of this corridor is the small business community, many of which I've been able to meet with," Buttigieg said. "They went through so much here, first with the pandemic and then the civil unrest. Part of how you support small businesses is to make sure people can circulate there including employees and customers."
Minnesota is receiving six grants totaling nearly $100 million as part of President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law.
This year’s allocations include more than $2.2 billion
"We're delighted that thanks to the President's infrastructure package we have more than we've ever had to work with," Buttigieg added.
As part of the Lake Street Corridor Project, Hennepin County will receive $12 million to construct turn lanes, bus only lanes, remove a lane, provide ADA upgrades, and pave new surface.
It will also look to reduce crashes by converting Lake Street from a four-lane road to a three-lane road.
"The successful applications, including this one in Minneapolis, are the ones that distinguished themselves in regards to safety, climate, equity, economic development, and preparing for the future."
Construction on Lake Street improvements are expected to begin in 2023 and last into 2024 before the METRO B Line bus rapid transits service begins.
