Secretary of Labor Solis in Minneapolis at the 10th Ave Bridge

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis visited with construction workers, politicians, and business leaders at the 10th Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis on Thursday, Sept. 29 She was in Minneapolis to discuss the American Jobs Act’s impact for Minnesota’s economy and the state’s workers. She also addressed a national young workers conference hosted by the AFL-CIO to discuss what the president’s plan means for youth, college students and young professionals.

The American Jobs Act will invest more than $600 million in the North Star State to fund highway and transit modernization projects — which could put roughly 7,500 Minnesotans back to work modernizing roads and bridges. In 2007, there were 116,000 people employed by Minnesota’s construction sector. Today, that number is down to 86,300.

More than 1,000 bridges in Minnesota, including the 10th Avenue Bridge, are in need of serious repairs. Roughly 8 percent of all the state’s bridges, or one in 12, is considered structurally deficient — a startling statistic for the more than 80,000 residents who drive over these bridges each day.