REMARKS FOR
VADM THOMAS J. BARRETT, USCG (RET.)
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

NORTHSTAR FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT SIGNING CEREMONY
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

DECEMBER 11, 2007
8:00 AM

Thank you, Bob McFarlin, and thanks to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for hosting this kickoff.

When Secretary Peters visited this area with President Bush in August after the devastating bridge collapse, she mentioned that the Department of Transportation would look at different ways to help this community, and we have.

We have awarded over $183 million in emergency relief for recovery, bridge reconstruction, and local transit assistance.

Minneapolis is receiving $133 million dollars under our Urban Partnership Initiative to jump-start a cutting-edge plan to fight congestion.

And now, I am here to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation will provide $156 million in funding to make the Northstar commuter rail line a reality. Today, we are delivering an investment that guarantees that Northstar can move off the drawing board and onto the rails.

Shortly, Governor Pawlenty and I will sign what is known as a New Starts Full Funding Grant Agreement between the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. This agreement commits the federal government to investing $156 million over the next two years –close to half of the project’s $317 million total cost.

The Department has made it a priority to assist innovative communities that are working aggressively to reduce congestion. I commend you all for your vision and leadership in finding transportation solutions here in Minnesota.

Minneapolis was among the first communities to respond to our call for Urban Partners with a comprehensive congestion-busting plan that combines technology, tolling and congestion pricing, and transit.

Today’s $156 million dollar Full Funding Grant Agreement for Northstar gives further momentum to Minneapolis’s efforts to untangle traffic and create commuter options.
This investment will help reduce traffic congestion in one of the state’s busiest corridors,
spur economic development, and help the environment.

This has been a collaborative effort, and I would like to recognize and thank just a few of the many folks who helped us reach this point: Governor Pawlenty and Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau; Senator Norm Coleman, who has been such a driving force along with other members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, including Senator Klobuchar and Representative Keith Ellison; Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart; Peter Bell, who chairs the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council; and Rich Weicher of the BNSF Railway, which owns the track used by Northstar.

This project could not come at a better time for the region. The Northstar Corridor between St. Cloud and downtown Minneapolis is one of the fastest growing transportation corridors in the state. Beginning in 2010, the 40-mile Northstar rail line will help more than 1,300 commuters leave their cars at home each weekday, and commuting times are likely to improve between Minneapolis and Elk River. Northstar will cast a spotlight on the region’s efforts to meet the needs of a fast-growing workforce.

The Northstar Project is the kind of public-private partnership and innovative financing that the U.S. Department of Transportation has been urging states to pursue. In this case, MnDOT hit a home run with the Minnesota Twins financing a station right next to their new stadium. Baseball fans and commuters alike can look forward to hopping the Northstar trains or the light rail – all from one station.

After a difficult year, there is a new star rising on Minneapolis’s transportation horizon, and it is lighting a path to faster trips to the office, to the ball game, and back home.

All of us at U.S. DOT wish you the very best of luck in moving forward. As always, we are here to help you succeed in any way that we can.

Congratulations!

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