State Sen. Leroy Stumpf
A Minnesota Senate committee with a big say in parceling-out state bonding dollars, is in Willmar this morning (815am) hearing a proposal to separate rail from road traffic in the center of that community. Senator Leroy Stumpf says rail traffic in general has increased many-fold, and when oil trains are added to that, there’s potential for a lot of frustration in communities and public safety issues as well. Overpasses or underpasses at major rail crossings have figured prominently in Governor Mark Dayton’s transportation proposals. Stumpf’s committee is finishing a three-day tour of proposed projects in southwest Minnesota. They’ll winnow down requests before the 2016 legislative session begins in March.