Minnesota Department Of Transportation

Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Financial Management Division, operating as MN/DOT, is a U.S. state government entity that receives and administers federal grant awards for highway infrastructure, transit, and transportation research rather than competing for federal contracts as a vendor. The organization acts as prime recipient on federal grants—primarily from the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and related U.S. Department of Transportation offices—to fund the planning, design, construction, rehabilitation, and operation of Minnesota's transportation infrastructure network.

MN/DOT's grant portfolio reflects its statutory role as Minnesota's designated recipient for federal highway and multimodal transportation funding. The organization received 17,152 prime federal grant awards totaling $26.34 billion in obligated dollars across recent years, with the Federal Highway Administration accounting for the overwhelming majority (16,923 awards). Recent representative awards include a $174,898.93 Surface Transportation Block Grant Program grant (CFDA 20.287) for statewide archaeological report digitization (awarded June 2026); a $760,875 Highway Planning and Construction award (CFDA 20.205) for right-of-way acquisition on the US Highway 8 reconstruction in Forest Lake to Chisago City (awarded June 2026); a $4.98 million project grant for right-of-way acquisition on the same corridor (awarded June 2026); and a $6.3 million preliminary engineering grant for the I-35/CSAH 50 interchange reconstruction in Lakeville (awarded June 2026). These grants span highway pavement rehabilitation, bridge replacement and preservation, multimodal trail construction, electric vehicle charging station deployment, safety improvements, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility enhancements, and traffic management systems across the state.

MN/DOT's customer base is concentrated with the Federal Highway Administration, which funds approximately 99% of its awards through formula grants, project grants, and cooperative agreements tied to federal highway programs (Highway Planning and Construction CFDA 20.205, Surface Transportation Block Grant CFDA 20.287, Bridge Formula Program CFDA 20.263, Highway Safety Improvement Program CFDA 20.272, and emerging programs addressing carbon reduction and resilience). The Federal Transit Administration funds rural transit vehicle procurement and operations through Section 5339 and Buses and Bus Facilities programs (CFDA 20.526). The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $1 million under the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program (CFDA 20.327) for the Moorhead to Duluth corridor study. The Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation has funded competitive National Infrastructure Investments grants totaling $152.84 million for projects including the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge rehabilitation, Dakota County Mississippi River Greenway completion phases, and West Superior Street active transportation corridor in Duluth.

MN/DOT acts as a pass-through recipient on many grants, issuing sub-awards to county administrations, cities, transit agencies, and tribal governments. The organization manages 144 awards with ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, representing potential recompete opportunities across multiple transportation infrastructure categories. The organization operates through its Office of Financial Management Division, headquartered at 395 John Ireland Boulevard, St. Paul, Minnesota. Unlike federal contractors, MN/DOT does not compete for work; instead, it receives and administers federal transportation funding as Minnesota's designated state transportation agency under federal-aid highway programs and related transit and rail funding authorities.