Weekly Update from AGC

July 21, 2023

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS

Governor Walz Announces $380 Million in State Grants for Transportation Projects via Corridors of Commerce

Governor Tim Walz has announced that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will allocate $380 million to fund eight new infrastructure projects through the state’s Corridors of Commerce program.

The projects receiving funding in 2023 include:

TH 13 (Savage/Burnsville) – Grade separations from Quentin to Nicollet Aves: $96,000,000
I-94 (Albertville to Monticello) – Lane expansion: $78,000,000
TH 14/CSAH 44 (Byron) – Construct a grade separation: $60,000,000
TH 371/TH 210 (Baxter) – Construct a grade separation: $58,000,000
TH 23/MN 9 (New London) – Construct a grade separation: $33,000,000
TH 65 (Blaine) – Grade separations from 103^rd to 117^th Aves: $30,000,000
TH 53 (Eveleth to Virginia) – Roadway improvements: $18,000,000
TH 10 (Coon Rapids) – Lane expansion from CSAH 78 to CSAH 9: $8,000,000

“We appreciate the work of our many local partners who submitted Corridors of Commerce funding proposals,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “While transportation funding needs are significant in communities across our state, MnDOT is grateful to the legislature for making historic infrastructure investments this session and we’ll continue partnering with proposers to explore other funding options for projects that did not receive funding in this round of the Corridors of Commerce program.”

This is the fourth round of Corridors of Commerce funding provided by the Minnesota Legislature and includes a total of $403 million, including $250 million authorized by the Legislature in 2021 and $153 million provided in 2023. $22 million will be reserved for project readiness activities for potential future Corridors of Commerce candidate projects.

The Corridors of Commerce program was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2013 with a goal of focusing transportation investments on state highway projects that directly and indirectly foster economic growth for the state of Minnesota. The program is outside of MnDOT’s regular State Road Construction program and Corridors of Commerce funding is dependent on legislative appropriation. The authorizing statute (161.088) also includes specific requirements for project eligibility and scoring.

In addition to this year’s Corridors of Commerce funding, the omnibus transportation bill included $6 billion for transportation and will allow MnDOT and its partners at the Metropolitan Council and local and tribal governments to make investments in our state’s multimodal transportation system. Combined with federal resources coming to Minnesota from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation enacted during the 2023 legislative session will result in transformational improvements that maximize the health of people, the environment, and our economy.

LEGAL NEWS

Cannabis Law on Construction Worksites

We’ve fielded a lot of questions about the new MN cannabis law, including whether AGC will create a template drug policy. We’re considering it. The law is so fresh that, on critical parts, there’s questions and positions, not necessarily answers. We feel that the cannabis law will not apply to construction work sites because the entire site is safety sensitive. Because we believe that the law does not apply, there is no reason to update your policies for the work site. You may need to update your policies for your other sites, like office, and perhaps add to your policy that anyone entering a construction work site is subject to the drug laws that were in place before this new law.

We also were asked to create a poster to help raise awareness that jobsite employees can be tested and disciplined for cannabis use. This we did. The poster can be downloaded here to be printed as a flyer or a poster and customized with your contact information. Feel free to email Mike if you have any questions or concerns.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION (DEI) NEWS

VitalCog Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Construction

Gatekeeper Train-the-Trainer

Suicide prevention is personal, but it is also a public health issue, which affects work, communities, and families. Improving an employee’s understanding of mental health and suicide prevention empowers them to be a key partner in the effort to prevent suicides by promoting mental health and encouraging early identification and intervention. The vision of “VitalCog in Construction” is to cultivate a construction community of employees who are aspiring to the elimination of the devastating impact of suicide.

This week DEI Director Yolanda McIntosh led employees from Adolfson & Peterson Construction (including superintendents, safety department, scheduler, communications, coordinator, HR, and foreman professionals) in this Train-the-Trainer program, which they will take back to their offices and job sites.

Feedback from a participant:

Hi Yolanda,

We all appreciate the amazing job that you did! We all walked out with a better understanding of tools to use in suicide prevention. Thank you for the heartfelt and enlightening training.

KT Bernhagen, Senior Support Coordinator, Adolfson & Peterson Construction

GENERAL NEWS

AGC Concrete Committee Meeting

Next Tuesday, July 25

Technical committees provide members with a biannual opportunity to communicate with MnDOT staff and fellow contractors on contractor issues, as well as hear project and program updates relevant to the subject area. These committees continue to foster AGC member partnerships with MnDOT and allow participants to network and share information.

The AGC-MNDOT Concrete Committee will meet on Tuesday, July 25 from 1-3 PM at the AGC Office in St. Paul. Zoom is also an option for attendance.

Who can join?

Any AGC of Minnesota member can join; however, priority for committee membership will be given to contractors. Please contact Laura Ziegler to join.

How to Determine Your Tech ROI

When it comes to making capital investments, construction leaders are far more willing to invest in new equipment than in new technology — not to mention the larger digital transformation that’s required these days to provide the online experience clients are increasingly demanding.

If you’re struggling to understand the full scope of your organization’s technology needs, determine your tech ROI, read more.

Ryan Rademann is a senior manager in Wipfli’s construction and real estate practice focusing on customer relationship management workstream, user adoption and training, and project service automation.

AGC of America needs your help to measure the scope of construction labor shortages

The survey will close on August 14th.

AGC of America wants to understand exactly how labor shortages, supply chain challenges and inflation are impacting the construction industry. That is why we are asking you to take a few minutes to complete the following workforce survey that we and our partners at Autodesk have prepared. The more people understand the scope, and consequences, of current labor market conditions, the more likely we will be able to convince public officials to enact measures to help meet the industry’s needs. In other words, the more members who take the survey, the better able we all will be to describe labor market conditions where you operate.

Contact Brian Turmail at brian.turmail@agc.org for more information.

EDUCATION & EVENTS

2024 Construction Summit:

REGISTRATION OPEN!

Registration is open both to attendees and sponsors/exhibitors for the 2024 Minnesota Construction Summit (January 17-18)!

ATTENDEES: Take advantage of the Extra Early Bird discount by registering before September 30!
EXHIBITORS: Register early to get your preferred location!
SPONSORS: The earlier you register, the more exposure you'll receive!

STP Classes: Coming this Fall!

Development and leadership training are key components of employee retention, and strengthen your team! Register your employees for these upcoming Supervisory Training Program classes. Students who complete all six units (in any order) receive a graduation certificate through AGC of America. Registration is now open for the first four sessions.