The Minnesota Legislature is considering borrowing $8.5 million to renovate the pedestrian tunnel that connects the Capitol and the State Office Building — which houses the offices of the 134 members of the House and some widely used committee rooms — to make it compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The current slope has a grade of over 10.5%, which exceeds the ADA’s permitted grade of 8.3%.
The Department of Administration’s bonding request cites the tunnel’s steep slope, which makes traversing the Capitol campus virtually impossible for people with disabilities without a powered wheelchair, especially during the winter