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Audit of regional transportation system yields mixed results

Bright spots are found, but congestion relief is not in sight

A new comprehensive review of the region’s transportation network confirms what every driver knows: congestion is bad and is not getting better.

There are more cars driving more miles more often than any time in history. The evening rush hour is more like 2-1/2 hours in the most congested parts of the highway system.

This not-surprising news comes from the just-released “2005 Twin Cities Transportation System Audit,” which is required by the Minnesota Legislature every four years. The report summarizes the impact of demographic and development trends on travel trends and their impacts on the highway, transit and freight systems. The overall systems are compared with peer cities or peer regions nationwide. Prior editions of the audit were published in 1997 and 2001.

Council Member Mary Hill Smith said the report, published in November, presents something of a mixed blessing. “I don’t think anyone is surprised by the overall results of the audit. For our region, congestion is as bad as it’s ever been, though we’re not in the league of other large cities like Chicago and Atlanta,” said Hill Smith, who chairs the Council’s Transportation Committee.

“The report does a good job quantifying the issues we face as a region. It not only addresses congestion, but the economic impact of moving freight in heavy traffic and other related issues,” she said.

More vehicles, more congestion

The backbone of the transportation system — some 1,700 highway lane miles — was laid out in the 1950s and has reached its 50-year lifecycle. Most highways are at capacity and many are over capacity in terms of daily traffic.

In the past 20 years alone, the number of vehicle-miles traveled (all vehicles on all trips) on the region's freeways has increased 127 percent. New freeway miles have increased by only 25 percent.

Adding another dimension, new jobs are not centered in downtown areas but are dispersed broadly across the region. Furthermore, the gas tax has not been increased in 13 years so that, when adjusted for inflation, the revenue in real dollars has declined since 1993.  

A few statistics tell the story:

• While economic development is good, it comes with a price. From 1990 to 2000, regional job growth was 50 percent higher than the population growth. More jobs mean more cars and more trips traveling longer distances.
• Vehicle-miles traveled per capita is higher in the Twin Cities than in peer cities.
• Drivers in the Twin Cities waste 43 hours per year in traffic delays – more than three times the figure for peer cities nationwide.
• From 1995 to 2004, commercial truck traffic increased 29 percent while the population increased 9 percent.
• The condition of principal arterial bridges deteriorated from 1998 to 2003. Bridges are failing to meet state targets.

Highway “bottleneck” removal among the good news

"The audit reports a number of local success stories, too,” said Hill Smith. “It shows that transportation investments pay off, and the results are tangible. The report confirms the need for greater investments in highways and transit to help slow the growth of congestion.”

For example, several congestion-making “bottlenecks” in the metro highway system have been removed, including I-694 in Brooklyn Center, I-94 east of St. Paul, Hwy. 100 north of I-394, and the intersection of the Crosstown and Hiawatha Avenue near the international airport.

Light rail transit carried 10 million riders in its first 17 months and now is moving 10 percent of all transit riders in the seven-county metro — which means fewer cars, less congestion and less pollution.

The I-394 toll lane west of Minneapolis is another regional success story. The project is drawing national attention for moving cars in the corridor using a variable-pricing scheme, and reducing congestion for cars in the non-toll lanes.

Other bright spots:

• From 1996 to 2005, overall use of public transit (buses and light rail) was up 24 percent.
• All regular transit buses are now ADA-accessible (for disabled riders) and are fitted with bike racks.
• In terms of being “logistics friendly” for moving freight, the Twin Cities is ranked 7th among 362 metro areas nationwide and second overall among peer cities.
• As lane miles have increased for bicyclists, bicycling itself has increased as a viable form of commuting. As bike lane funding has increased, so has usage.

The future holds many challenges. Between 2000 and 2030 the metro area is expected to add one million more residents — an increase of 40 percent — while vehicle-miles traveled is projected to be much larger than the population growth itself.