The city of Winona hopes to be a recipient of stimulus funds for a variety of projects. The rehabilitation and replacement of the Winona Bridge is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2014, but work of a sort has already begun. A small bunch of state workers have already begun to search the area for bones, prehistoric ceramics, and other ancient treasures.

Crews from the Cultural Resources Unit are doing fieldwork to determine that historic artifacts won’t be destroyed in the construction process, according to the Pioneer Press. This fieldwork is required by the government for projects that receive federal money, although preserving potential Minnesotan heritage is also a factor.

Winona is also seeking stimulus money for a project to extend Louisa Street and build a bike path. The project is intended to ease congestion on Mankato Avenue and create a new entry point into Technology Park. According to the Winona Daily News, it would also create a bike path that is meant to give Winona Middle School and Southeast Technical College students a safe place to cross Highway 61 into the core of the city.

To learn more about the Winona Bridge stimulus project, head over to the Department of Transportation.