Renovations to a Minnesota Rest Stop Has Price Tag of $7.2 Million

There's a rest stop north of the Twin Cities that's been closed for renovations for two years and commuters and visitors are a little confused as to what's going on. There are a few things that are causing the delay, one being lawmakers are questioning the $7.2 million price tag.

WCCO writes that the rest stop is a "circular building made of Brazilian Ipe wood and curved glass ... dubbed as durable and more energy-efficient." They're also putting in "a new retaining wall, parking area, and storm and sanitary sewer system replacement."

Ok, so we know why it's so expensive. But why is construction taking so long?

According to MnDOT’s Director of Communications, Kevin Gutknecht, the contractor is the reason the project is taking so long. It was supposed to be done last September 30th and MnDOT is "not pleased."

They say the rest stop should reopen the end of this month or the beginning of June.

Back to the lawmakers questioning the price tag: WCCO says that Rep. Ann Neu is "one of three Republican state representatives to lay out concerns ... pointing out that the pot of money used for the project are trunk highway tax dollars."

Source: WCCO

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