The Minnesota Department of Transportation is projected to take a $155 million hit in projected highway revenue. | Pixabay
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is projected to take a $155 million hit in projected highway revenue. | Pixabay
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is projected to take a $155 million hit in projected highway revenue, Finance & Commerce reported.
MnDOT Budget Director Josh Knatterud-Hubinger said the projection is less than previously forecasted, as the department saw only a 10% hit from April to October.
The shortfall is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the news media reported. MnDOT revised its forecast for the fiscal year in May after the pandemic struck and that forecast showed a 20% reduction — nearly $300 million.
Knatterud-Hubinger said the revenue has fallen since summer and unemployment is staying at pre-pandemic levels. He said COVID-19 cases are continuing to climb.
“[It] will be a challenge because it’s not constitutionally dedicated. It’s a statutory dedication, which can easily be undone,” Margaret Donahoe, the executive director of the Transportation Alliance, said in the news media.
The Transportation Alliance will focus on a bill that passed last month regarding transportation issues.
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