Screenshot of Corridor line simulation.

The largest public works project in Minnesota history--an 11-mile light-rail line between the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis--is officially receiving $478 million from the federal government.

Minnesota was one of 12 states President Barack Obama won by less than 15 points during the 2008 election.

Though former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is exploring a run for president, experts don't expect Minnesota to be a key state that Obama could lose.

Pawlenty first vetoed state funding for the project. He later signed a budget bill authorizing about $70 million in state support.

The project is one of 11 across the country that the Obama administration is asking Congress to approve $1.4 billion for in next year's budget. The full funding agreement for the Minnesota project "gives project sponsors the assurance that the federal government will appropriate a portion of its share each year until 2015," according to the FTA.

The total cost of the Central Corridor light-rail line is expected to be about $960 million, which is about the same as the price tag for the first phase of the Exposition light-rail line from Downtown L.A. to Culver City. The other half of the funding is come from the state and local governments.

Construction is more than an eighth complete with the line slated to open in 2014. The full trip across the Mississippi River would take about 40 minutes.

If cost estimates hold, then by 2030, the cost of building the light-rail per rider per mile would be $2,200. By comparison, the Expo Line would be $2,500. The cost of widening a heavily congested freeway can sometimes be a tenth of the cost.

The Federal Transit Administration ruled out concerns raised by minority groups who said the Corridor line disproportionately impacted their communities.

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