1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to railroads; allowing local road authorities 
  1.3             to provide financial assistance to expand railroad 
  1.4             bridges; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 
  1.5             165.05, by adding a subdivision. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 165.05, is 
  1.8   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.9      Subd. 3.  [BRIDGE UPGRADE ASSISTANCE.] The local road 
  1.10  authority may contract with a common carrier by rail, as defined 
  1.11  in section 218.011, who owns a railroad bridge to be 
  1.12  reconstructed, to provide joint and matching financial 
  1.13  assistance to expand or otherwise upgrade the railroad bridge 
  1.14  over a street or highway when the local road authority deems 
  1.15  assistance would be advantageous to meet street or highway 
  1.16  needs.  The financial assistance provided is limited to the 
  1.17  costs connected with the additional construction necessary to 
  1.18  upgrade the bridge from its current condition to a structure 
  1.19  that meets present or future street or highway needs as 
  1.20  determined by the local road authority.  The local road 
  1.21  authority may not provide any financial assistance under this 
  1.22  subdivision for either commuter rail or light rail transit 
  1.23  projects or purposes.  This subdivision does not limit the 
  1.24  commissioner's authority to assign costs of a rail-highway grade 
  1.25  separation to a local road authority under section 219.072 or 
  2.1   219.40.