MN HF1617

Amends Minnesota Statutes section 174.50 to modify certification requirements for bridge grant disbursements, removing the requirement that projects be reviewed under subdivision 4 before commissioner certification.

Grants to cities with populations of 5,000 or less cover 100 percent of design and engineering costs exceeding $10,000, 100 percent of bridge approach work costs exceeding $10,000, and 100 percent of bridge construction work costs.

Establishes $7,000,000 as the maximum grant amount for local bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects under this section.

Authorizes political subdivisions to use grants for matching federal aid, abandoning deficient bridges with no replacement, and constructing roads or streets as more economical alternatives to bridge replacement.

Requires the commissioner to establish minimum distance standards between bridges crossing the same waterway to limit grant eligibility to only one bridge, with allowance for exceptions and variances.