Council OKs $2.5 billion transportation package

It’s a $2.5 billion package of highway and transit capital projects recommended for federal funding. The 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program, or “TIP” for short, was approved by the Metropolitan Council in September.

Among the big highway projects included:

Rebuilding Crosstown at I-35W and adding a lane for vehicles carrying more than one passenger
Completing a new segment of Trunk Highway 212 from Eden Prairie through Chaska
Upgrading Trunk Highway 169 to a freeway between County Highways 81 and 109.

Metro Transit will receive federal funding through the TIP to purchase additional hybrid-electric buses for its fleet.

Major transit capital projects in the TIP are new bus purchases, including hybrid electric buses for fuel economy and environmental benefits, the Northstar commuter rail line, bus rapid transit on Cedar Avenue and light-rail transit on Central Corridor.

It’s ‘not a wish list’

TIP is a short name for a big program that identifies and recommends metro-area transportation projects for federal funding. In addition to investments in highway and transit projects, the TIP includes projects that enhance bike and pedestrian facilities and promote air quality improvements.

“The Council is the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) for the Twin Cities region, which means all federal dollars for metro-area transportation projects must be identified in the Transportation Improvement Plan,” said transportation planner Carl Ohrn.

“It’s also important to note that the TIP is not a wish list,” said Ohrn. “It has to be realistic,as we’re required to identify the sources of funding that we expect to be available for the recommended projects. Projects get into the TIP as they’re identified and agreed to by local, regional and state officials, and they move out of the TIP as they’re completed.”

Local officials have extensive input

The TIP is updated annually and prepared jointly by the Metropolitan Council and Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Transportation Advisory Board to the Council conducts the public review and involvement process prior to Council adoption.

The TAB is a 33-member body composed of locally elected officials, representatives of government agencies involved in transportation issues, citizen members and members who represent transit, freight and non-motorized transportation modes. The board advises the Metropolitan Council on transportation issues and helps develop plans and programs to meet the transportation needs of the seven-county metro area.

For a complete accounting of the hundreds of projects in the TIP, you can find the report online. Copies are also available for $5 by contacting the Regional Data Center at 651.602.1140 or data.center@metc.state.mn.us.