$1M Boost Powers Plans for St. Cloud Beltway, Linking Highways 10 and 23

(KNSI) – Benton County is getting a boost in funding to help design a tie-in for Highway 10 and 23 in a future beltway around the St. Cloud metro area.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development dished out $1 million from the Community Energy Transition grant program. The money aids research, planning, and support for local economies through power plant transitions. The idea is to help communities transition away from a fossil fuel economy.

According to DEED, Benton County will use the money to develop its Beltline Corridor Project, including a connection to the two major highways. Officials say the crucial eastern route will link metro growth centers to residential, commercial, and industrial sites. Plans are already underway to relocate two Xcel Energy electric transmission poles.

Benton County was one of four communities to get a chunk of $2.7 million in grants DEED doled out on Monday. The money is meant to help drive economic development with power plants that have closed down or are scheduled to cease operations. Commissioner Jared Gapinski stated, “This award supports a wonderful opportunity to promote new economic development opportunities in our county and accommodate existing urban and industrial growth in light of the Granite City Power Generation Plant’s decommissioning.”

The coal-powered plant in Granite Falls was taken offline in 2009 and demolished in 2022.

The beltway is part of an effort by the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization to build a $250 million, four-lane, 40-mile-per-hour road around the city, which the organization hopes will relieve traffic in downtown areas. There is no clear timeline for the beltline. The organization is collaborating with officials from Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties, as well as the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the city of St. Cloud, on the project.

For more information on the beltway, click here.

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