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MnDOT will contribute more than $190,000 to cover the city’s net cost to rent ferry boats, expand bus routes within city limits and improve the city dock to accommodate thousands of commuters. The Wisconsin DOT is expected to contribute an additional $20,000 for buses that shuttled commuters from Latsch Island to five locations in Wisconsin from June 9-13.
Winona officials indicated they expect the reimbursement will fully cover the city’s emergency expenses to shuttle 12,749 passengers during the five-day span. “For the city, it’s a break-even deal, which is fair,” Mayor Jerry Miller said.
MnDOT reopened the Interstate Bridge to car and light-truck traffic on June 14 after the bridge was closed for 11 days when inspectors found corroded gussets plates. Heavy trucks and pedestrians remain barred from the bridge until repairs are completed later this summer.
MnDOT also will reimburse Winona for most of the cost incurred by pedestrians using cabs to get across the bridge during the repair period, MnDOT spokeswoman Kristine Hernandez said.
Winona won’t receive the reimbursement funds until after July 1, Hernandez said. The MnDOT share will come from the department’s Office of Transit, which already funds buses and other services in Winona and other Minnesota cities, she said.
MnDOT has pledged to cover the city’s net cost for the shuttle service — meaning the upfront cost minus revenues from tickets to ride the ferry and buses.
Ticket revenues totaled about $26,400, said City Clerk Monica Hennessy Mohan.
Hernandez said the initial reimbursement estimates could climb slightly as city officials finalize the totals.
“If it goes higher, we’ll pay it,” she said.
Miller said he was pleased to hear about the reimbursement plans, but stressed that bridge repairs must begin soon to allow heavy truck and trailer traffic.
MnDOT expects to pay between $2 million and $3 million to reinforce rusty gussets on the bridge, Hernandez said.
An exact cost won’t be available until MnDOT contracts for the work, which could begin in two weeks, she said.
Contact Mark Sommerhauser at (507) 453-3514 or msommerhauser@winonadailynews.com
BRIDGE COALITION MAKES IT OFFICIAL
Lawmakers want to officially form a Winona Bridge Coalition to lobby the Minnesota Department of Transportation on when, where and how to build a new Interstate Bridge.
The coalition will meet at 6:30 tonight in the auditorium at Community Memorial Hospital, said Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, who is spearheading the group.
The group first met informally on June 7. Tonight’s meeting will officially establish the coalition, and determine its leadership, goals and other formative parameters, Ropes said.
“What I’m hearing from the community is that they definitely want a voice at the table,” Ropes said.
