By Allison Sherry

Minneapolis Star Tribune

WASHINGTON — President-elect Trump’s pledge to spend billions of dollars on new road and bridge projects could dramatically reshape Minnesota’s transportation priorities, potentially bringing private investment to finance massive public works projects.

In Minnesota and across the nation, elected leaders are scrambling to find ways to pay for road and bridge repair, hampered by limited taxpayer dollars and stiff political resistance to raising the gasoline tax.

Even before he has taken office, Trump’s team has pitched a private investment model that would devote more than $100 billion in tax incentives to lure private businesses to invest in projects.

To recoup their investments, these projects would typically have a revenue stream attached — like a toll on roads or a fare to ride a train. This model could breathe new life into fledging projects like a proposed high-speed train from Minneapolis to Rochester, home of Mayo Clinic.

Transportation spending has for years bedeviled officials in Minnesota, where the list of backlogged projects has stretched into the billions of dollars.

Some political leaders are hopeful that transportation spending could be a rare area of accord among Democrats, Republicans and the new Trump administration.

“It’s a nonpartisan issue and it unites Democrats and Republicans,” said Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership.

But some transportation advocates worry the private investment model won’t work in all cases, particularly in rural areas that need new wastewater plants or road repairs.

“If this is the be-all-end-all, it’s not going to be terribly helpful,” said Margaret Donahoe executive director of the Minnesota Transportation Alliance. “It certainly wouldn’t help with greater Minnesota or help with the maintenance of roads and bridges we really need.”

A desire to direct money into roads, bridges and other infrastructure is among the few specifics known about Trump’s priorities after he gets sworn in January.