Minnesota GO

Corridors of Commerce
Corridors of Commerce is a Minnesota program for state highway construction,
reconstruction and improvement, including maintenance operations, designed to
improve commerce across the state.
o New program - established by the Legislature in 2013
o Focuses on statewide expansion and completion projects
o Legislature allocated $300M to the program in 2014
o $300M is only a "down payment" on the this larger vision
o $51M of program available for program delivery
Selection Criteria
o Project cannot be in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), can
be part of the state's long range plan
o Objective criteria to determine projects
o Return on investment analysis
o Measurable impact on commerce and economic competiveness, including
measures of freight efficiency, traffic safely and regional trade center connections
o Level of support of the surrounding community
o Must be for long-term investments
City and County Invoivement
o Commissioner shall annually accept recommendations from Area Transportation
Partners and Stakeholders
o TI1ere will not be formal application process
o Local cost share based on a Cost Participation Policy
o Projects need support and consensus of surrounding community
o Highway turnback costs are not eiigible use of funds
Current Actions
o MnDOT is:
o Developing options for evaluating return on investment
o Devetoping possible criteria and categories of eligible projects
o Universe of Projects:
o Potential project list shared with legislature
o Reviewing list against language of 2013 legislation for eligibility and ensure it
is a complete tist
o Level of program funding will allow only a portion of the list to move forward
Current Timelines
o September - Communications and dialog with local partners
o Initial Project Selection - Winter 2013/14
2030
TRANSPORTATION
Policy Plan
Realistic, Innovative, Flexible, Focused
The Twin Cities metropolitan area is a growing and prosperous region
with many natural assets. With nearly 3 million residents, expected to
grow to approximately 3.6 million by 2030, the region's transportation-
related needs will also continue to grow.
The region's mobility, fundamental to its economic vitality and quality of
life, is challenged by mounting congestion, rising costs, and tight fiscal
constraints. Despite unprecedented levels of investment in recent years,
the region faces hard choices in addressing mobility, safety
and preservation needs.
To respond effectively, the region needs a transportation strategy that is realistic, innovative, problem-focused,
and flexible, to leverage opportunities and maximize benefit to the region as a whole.
The region's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan, adopted in November 2010, contains policies and plans to guide
development of the transportation system in the Twin Cities metro area to the year 2030. Recent updates to
the plan include a new policy direction for highway investment, resulting from recent studies, the first significant
aviation update since 1996, an updated transitway map, and updates affecting other transportation modes.
The plan addresses problems and issues in preserving the region's mobility and describes actions which will be
undertaken to preserve, improve, and expand the region's highways, transit, and other transportation modes.
The Highway Vision - Managing Congestion
In an uncertain future, the region will need a
flexible, resilient transportation system that offers
transportation choices and includes a more efficient
and optimized highway network, and improved
transit system.
Forecasts show that most of the region's highway
system will experience congestion during peak
hours by 2030. To address that congestion, this
plan focuses on the people-moving capacity of
the highway system, combined with strategies to
minimize future demand on the system.
The region's roadways provide connections that
are essential to the metro area's economic vitality
and quality of life. But the for travel is
enormous - and growing - posing difficult choices
as the region attempts to sustain mobility in the
face of mounting congestion.
With this level of anticipated congestion, it's not
realistic to assume congestion will be eliminated,
but overall system management can mitigate
congestion throughout the system, and lower-
high-benefit projects can effectivelya(idress
botilenecks.

o 2.5 5 10
The 2030 Transportation Policy Plan recommends implementing the
vision for managed lanes depicted here over the next 20 years as one
strategy for mitigating congestion on the region's highway system.
Managed lanes (and priced MnPASS lanes) provide a congestion-free
travel option for those willing to pay, carpool, or ride transit. (The dark-
blue lines indicate currently operational managed lanes. The light-blue
lines indicate future managed lane expansion.)
The plan focuses on the highest-level roadways,
called the principal arterials and "A" minor arterials,
which carry a majority of the trips in the region. The
Council partnered with the Minnesota Department
of Transportation (Mn/DOT) on the Metropolitan
Highway System Investment Study (MHSIS)
in 2009-10, a study that examined the role of
managed lanes, strategic capacity expansion, and
active traffic management (ATM) strategies, all of
which focus on fully utilizing existing right-of-way on
the metro highway system. The MHSIS was also
coordinated with other planning efforts, including
a study of short-term priorities for additional
MnPASS (high-occupancy toll) lanes, a congestion-
management safety plan study to identify problem
areas and possible solutions, a travel demand
management study, and reassessment of
previously prioritized major projects.
5 Objectives of Highway Investment
Increase the people-moving capacity of the
system
Manage and optimize the existing system
to the greatest extent possible
Manage future demand
Increase trip reliability
Minimize travel time
The plan recommends the following strategies
to mitigate congestion, improve highway system
performance and preserve a high level of mobility
in the region:
1. Use active traffic management system-wide to
reduce the impact of congestion and incidents
on the system.
2. Construct lower-cost, high-benefit highway
improvements to improve traffic flow and
geometric design while addressing safety
hazards.
3. Develop a system of managed lanes (and
priced MnPASS lanes) to provide congestion-
free travel options for those willing to payor
ride transit.
4. Implement capacity expansion in strategic
locations, specifically for lane continuity or
unfinished segments of the highway system.
5. Improve non-freeway trunk highways, with
special emphasis on applying active traffic
management and making preservation and
safety investments.
The Transit Contribution
Transit is already a major contributor to regional mobility
- nearly 91 million rides were provided on the region's
transit system in 2010, with a goal of 147 million rides to
be provided on the transit system by 2030.
In the future, a network of transitways will connect
regional employment centers, improve the reliability of
riders' trips and boost the potential for transit-oriented
development.
Many of the transitway corridors identified in previous
transportation plans are underway. The Northstar
Commuter Rail Line began providing service in late
2009, and it meets the recently extended Hiawatha
light-rail line at the Target Field station in Minneapolis.
Construction has begun on the Central Corridor
light-rail line (LRT), and bus-rapid transit (BRT) is in
development from Lakeville to downtown Minneapolis,
both on the Cedar Avenue corridor and 1-35W using
a combination of a MnPASS toll lane and a priced
shoulder lane. A new online station to support bus-rapid
transit in these corridors opened in late 2010 at 46th
Street and 1-35W.
The transit chapter also includes a current transitway
map, which identifies light-rail as the selected preferred
mode for the Southwest Corridor, amended in the 2030
plan in early 2010. It also identifies long-range plans for
the transitway system development, including bus-rapid
transit on arterial corridors, and regular route transit
system expansion, including park-and-ride facilities and
intermodal stations.
Network of Transitways
Complete, In Construction, In Final Hiawatha LRT. 1-35W BRT, Cedar Avenue BRT, 1-394 MnPASS lane,
Design or Preliminary Engineering Northstar Commuter Rail, Central LRT, Southwest LRT
Recommended to be developed as LRT/ Bottineau Corridor (Hennepin County), 1-35W North, Central Avenue/Highway
Busway/BRT/Commuter Rail (subject to 65 (Anoka County), Rush Line (eastern metro area), Highway 36, Gateway (1-
selection of a locally preferred alternative) 94 east), Midtown (Minneapolis), Red Rock (southeast metro area)
Develop as Arterial BRT Central Avenue, Snelling Avenue/Ford Parkway, West Broadway, Nicollet
(along existing roads) Avenue, Chicago Avenue, East 7th Street, Robert Street, West 7th Street,
American Boulevard
Express Bus Corridors with Transit Highway 65, 1-35W north, 1-35E, Highway 36, 1-94 east, Highway 61, Highway
Advantages 52, Highway 55, Highway 169, 1-94 west, Highway 100, Highway 10.
Transitways Map

Transitways
_ Complete I Construction I
Final Design I Prelim. Engineering
-
=
Develop as lRT / Busway
I Highway BRT I Commuter Rail
Develop as Arterial BRT
Updated Aviation Plan
The 2030 plan, which includes the first major update of the aviation plan
since 1996, addresses impacts and opportunities facing the industry, such as
the economic and security issues that have emerged since 2000. This plan
incorporates new long-term comprehensive plans for the Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport and six of its reliever airports.
The goal of the 2030 aviation plan is to assure the regional air transportation
system is efficient and safe for the movement of people and goods to and from
state, national, and international markets.
Other Transportation Modes
Walking and bicycling are part of the total transportation picture and work well for shorter trips. The Council
provides planning guidance on issues related to bikeways and walkways, and with its Transportation Advisory
Board, allocates federal funds to bicycle and pedestrian projects. The Council's plan continues to support and
coordinate efforts to strengthen these modes.
The plan acknowledges the multimodal freight movement system that connects the region to the rest of the
nation and the world. The Council's plan proposes to continue to monitor the issues confronting the freight
industry, working closely with Mn/DOT to support the economic vitality of the region.
In Summary
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.
To view the full 2030 Transportation Policy Plan, visit www.metrocouncil.org,
and click on "Transportation."
CD copies ofthe document are available from the Regional Data Center- call 651.602.1140
or email [email protected].
The Metropolitan Council is the regional planning organization for the seven-county Twin Cities area. It runs the
regional bus and light rail system, collects and treats wastewater, manages regional water resources, plans
regional parks and administers funds that provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals
and families. The Council is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the governor.
~ Metropolitan Council