2030 Transportation Policy Plan Update Summary

Our strategy: realistic, innovative and focused

The Twin Cities metropolitan area is a growing and prosperous region with many natural assets. However, the region’s mobility − so fundamental to its economic vitality and quality of life − is challenged by mounting congestion, rising costs and tight fiscal constraints.

Traffic congestion already is regarded by metro area residents as one of the region’s most serious problems. It is likely to worsen as population and job growth outpace our ability to meet the growing demands for peak-hour travel. Instead of providing reserve capacity for decades, new highway lanes can fill up in a matter of months.

The 2008 Minnesota Legislature approved an historic increase in transportation funding. Even with these new resources, however, there will not be enough money to “fix” congestion throughout the region’s highway system. Adding enough highway capacity to meet expected demand over the next 25 years would cost some $40 billion – an amount that, if funded by the state gasoline tax alone, would add more than $2 per gallon to the cost of fuel.

The 2008 law directed the Minnesota Department of Transportation to first commit the highway funds to system preservation, especially to bridges, but leaves Mn/DOT to clarify funding availability for possible capacity expansions.

The law authorized the seven metro counties to impose a new quarter-cent sales tax for the development and operation of bus and rail transitways. Five of the seven counties did so in 2008. Counties imposing the tax were allowed to form a new joint-powers board to allocate the funds, consistent with the Council’s Transportation Policy Plan. While the law will provide a needed infusion of funds for transitway development, it does not permit the use of these funds to maintain or expand the regular-route bus system.

Meanwhile, the cost of fuel and construction materials – concrete, asphalt, steel – has soared and the declining value of the U.S. dollar has further eroded local purchasing power.

The region faces hard choices in addressing preservation, safety and mobility needs. To respond effectively, the region needs a transportation strategy that is realistic, innovative and focused on leveraging available dollars for the most benefit.

The Highway Vision

A good highway system is vital to the region’s economy, providing access to jobs, goods, markets and services.

Consistent with the 2008 law, the region’s first investment priority will be to preserve the 657-mile metropolitan highway system. As a result of this measure, four major metro area bridges will be replaced and another 25 bridges will be repaired, replaced or prioritized for rehabilitation by 2018. This effort will utilize a significant percentage of the new resources that will be available under the 2008 law.

Beyond these bridge investments, Mn/DOT and the Council in 2009 will develop a long-term vision for future investments in the metropolitan highway system. The vision will focus on maximizing the use of existing highway capacity, pavement and right of way. It also will identify the types of highway expansion projects that are needed if new funding becomes available. In the near term, the region will invest in low-cost/high-benefit highway projects that help mitigate congestion “choke points” and provide alternatives to congestion. Mn/DOT has identified 19 priority projects – similar to those made at Highway 100 in St. Louis Park and at I-94 in Maplewood – that would improve safety and mobility.

Additional low-cost/high-benefit projects will be identified and assessed in a study to be conducted in 2009. At the same time, a number of major expansion projects included in the Council’s and Mn/DOT’s previous plans will need to be revisited and their scope probably narrowed. This effort will identify project elements that are critical to preserve and manage the highway system, mitigate congestion, improve safety and optimize facility performance.

With limited resources available to expand the current system, a key component of the regional strategy will be providing alternatives to congested travel. These alternatives include:

High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes
High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes
Bus-only shoulders
Priced dynamic-shoulder lanes, which would be available at peak times of day for a variable fee
Other transit advantages

The regional highway system has the ability to provide safe travel for millions of trips each day. By implementing congestion alternatives and by fully utilizing existing through-lanes and existing right-of-way, the mobility needs of the region can in large part be met. Travel will not be congestion-free, but the system will perform better.

The Transit Vision

Transit plays a vital role in the regional economy. It connects people to economic and educational opportunities, provides an alternative to driving on congested highways, improves air quality, reduces energy consumption and enhances mobility for everyone.

This plan renews the Council’s goal of doubling transit ridership – from a 2003 base of 73 million annual rides – to 145-150 million rides by 2030. Strategies for achieving this goal include:

Expanding the bus system by improving coverage and frequency; adding express routes, transit centers and park-and-ride facilities; and making technological improvements such as web-based trip planning tools and real-time service information.

Utilizing highway improvements – such as high-occupancy toll (HOT) and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, bus-only shoulder lanes, ramp meter bypasses and other improvements – that give transit a travel-time advantage over the single-occupant car.

Developing a network of bus and rail “transitways,” including light-rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), commuter rail and express buses with transit advantages.

A network of transitways will allow travel that avoids congested highways, connects regional employment centers, improves the reliability of riders’ trips and boosts the potential for transit-oriented development.

A Network of Transitways

The region now has two transitways – Hiawatha LRT and the I-394 HOT lane. Four more are under development – the Northstar commuter rail line, the I-35W and Cedar Avenue BRT projects, and the Central Corridor LRT.

The Council’s 2030 Transit Master Study indicated that two other corridors have potential for light rail or a dedicated busway – the Southwest Corridor between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, and the Bottineau Corridor between downtown Minneapolis and the northwest suburbs. The Midtown Corridor shows promise as a transitway connecting Hiawatha LRT and Southwest.

The study identified four other corridors that have strong ridership potential and merit further study of mode and alignment alternatives:

I-35W north of downtown Minneapolis
Highway 36
Highway 65/Central Avenue
I-94 east of downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis

In addition, the Rush Line corridor between St. Paul and Forest Lake currently is undergoing an alternatives analysis.

Arterial streets could accommodate a form of BRT featuring limited-stop service and using technology improvements to provide a faster trip. This plan recommends a comprehensive study of corridors for this service. The proposed corridors include:

Central Avenue
Snelling Avenue
West Broadway
Nicollet Avenue
Chicago Avenue
East Seventh Street
Robert Street
West Seventh Street
American Boulevard

Express bus routes with transit advantages provide another alternative to congestion. Transit advantages include bus-only shoulder lanes, HOT or HOV lanes, and ramp meter bypasses. Express routes typically operate non-stop between a park-and-ride facility and their destination. The region will need to double express bus service to remain on track to increase transit ridership 100% by 2030.

Other Transportation Modes

Walking and bicycling are part of the total transportation picture and work well for shorter, non-recreational trips. The Council provides planning guidance on land-use issues related to bikeways and walkways, and with its Transportation Advisory Board, allocates federal funds to bicycle and pedestrian projects. The Council will continue to support and coordinate efforts to strengthen these modes.

The freight movement system and the region’s airports connect the region to the rest the nation and the world. The Council will continue to monitor the issues confronting the freight industry, working closely with Mn/DOT. It will work with Metropolitan Airports Commission to ensure adequate facilities for aviation users.

The region is able to draw on proven as well as innovative tools to achieve a transportation system to address current and future needs. No single solution will accomplish that goal, but taken together, coordinated and refined, they will keep the region moving and vital.