$10M more for improving Minneapolis streets

An additional $10 million will be spent on Minneapolis street projects this year.

The 42 percent increase over last year's spending was made possible by more state aid, city borrowing and payments from people who own property adjacent to street improvements.

More than $33 million will go to repairing, resurfacing and replacing streets in Minneapolis this year. The city will improve nearly 55 miles of pavement, about 3 miles of which will require intensive reconstruction. Most of street improvement will be a new layer of asphalt or a protective coat of sealant.

Preventive maintenance saves taxpayers money, Mayor R.T. Rybak said.

"I would say the analogy is: we're filling a lot more cavities so we're not having to have as many root canals. Although I would say that as a mayor or a council member, potholes anytime are a root canal," he said.

City data show since at least the mid-1990s, the condition of Minneapolis streets has steadily declined. But conditions have improved in the last two years.