The funding gap to provide Minnesota with a economically competitive transportation system over the next 20 years has widened almost $4 billion.

That’s according to Minnesota Department of Transportation projections released last week that concluded that the state will see a shortfall of $16.3 billion in funding for transportation needs from 2018 to 2037. That is an increase from the previous state highway investment plan that covered 2014 to 2033, which identified an unfunded gap at $12.5 billion, according to a news release.

“Our planning process is thorough and objective,” said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle. “It is clearly indicating that the growth in revenue will not meet what we need to spend to provide a competitive system by 2037.”

The plan was released just a few months prior to the start of a new legislative session next year. Legislators did not reach a compromise on a long-term transportation funding package last session, and many hope it will be a priority this session.

Zelle said the growth in the funding gap is because of a number of issues:

• Legislative inaction. Since the last state highway investment plan was released, there have been four years of legislative inaction on sustained transportation funding.

• An aging system. Half of the state’s highways are more than 50 years old and more than a third of all state bridges are also 50 or older.

• Exponential deterioration. The longer the state waits to make investments in transportation infrastructure improvements, the faster aging roads and bridges deteriorate.

• Inflation. The cost of materials and labor to fix the system have increased.

MnDOT is also considering flood mitigation and main street projects and hopes to refine cost projections for projects.

Freeborn County Engineer Sue Miller said even with the local option sales tax approved by the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners that will go toward transportation needs, the county will only have enough money to do 55 percent of the road work that needs to be completed during the next 10 years.

“We don’t have enough money to pay for almost half of the roads that need to be taken care of,” Miller said, noting that this does not even account for bridge costs.

Albert Lea City Engineer Steven Jahnke said the city faces more than $79 million in capital improvement projects that need to be completed through 2019.

Jahnke said realistically, however, the city will not be able to complete that amount. The Albert Lea City Council meets regularly to discuss which projects they will complete.

He said 20 percent of the streets in town are considered state-aid roads and could qualify for some funding. When less money from the state is available to go toward these projects, then it makes it more difficult to get some of the main streets done, or else the projects get scaled back.

“Minnesota’s infrastructure will continue to deteriorate without a significant infusion of resources to address critical needs,” Zelle said. “There is strong, bipartisan agreement that something must be done to improve transportation funding.”