MINNEAPOLIS — Lawmakers in Minnesota will try to shift federal funding away from a planned light-rail route between Minneapolis and its southwestern suburbs and spend it instead on general road and bridge repair, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

GOP legislators have long sought to block planning and funding for light-rail projects, saying they put metro-area priorities above rural Minnesota. The legislation would move $900 million in federal money away from the roughly $2 billion Southwest Light Rail Transit project.

Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck said the chance of the funds being moved to grants for roads and bridges is slim because the awarded money is a part of a federal program meant to specifically fund rail projects. If the Legislature goes forward with the resolution, he said he fears the state would lose the money all together, according to the report. For the full story, click here.