General Update

March 2010

Background

As the region grows, increased travel demand on our aging Metro Highway System will continue to create additional transportation challenges–Preservation–Safety–Congestion

Year 2030 Congestion

Funding constraints

• Adding capacity to fully eliminate congestion would cost more than $40 billion over next 20 years

• If used alone, state gas tax would need more than $2 per gallon increase

Constrained budgets

• Transportation plans have called for major expansion to mitigate congestion

• Many major projects carried over from plan to plan

• 2009 plan left 12 major expansion projects unfunded, estimated at $3 billion

State Road Construction Program

2013 to 2030 (in millions)

Year 2030 Congestion

Year 2030 Congestion

Year 2030 Congestion

Non-funding constraints

• Physical right-of-way issues

• Social equity issues in urbanized corridors

• Environmental challenges

Policy direction

• Metropolitan Council Transportation Policy Plan

• Mn/DOT Metro District Highway Investment Plan

• Mn/DOT Statewide Transportation Plan

Region’s congestion needs21st century solution

•System-wide management

•Technology-based applications

•Multi-modal approach•Strategic capacity expansions

•Fiscally-constrained approach

System-wide management

• Active Traffic Management (ATM) applications

• Lower-cost/high-benefit capacity and safety improvements

• New managed lanes

Managed lane system

• Move more people, more reliably• Facilitate increased capacity

within existing rights of way• Provide greater speed/reliability

for transit• Encourage greater transit use• Provide congestion-free managed

lanes for those who choose to pay or ride transit

Supporting strategies

• Travel demand management (TDM)

• Land use changes• Transit investments

Maximizing efficiency

“Our goal is to effectively use every inch of pavement so that

we have the most efficient transportation system

possible.”

Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administrator

September 2009

New investment strategy

• Realistic

• Innovative

• Focuses available funds for most system-wide benefit

Benefits of new approach

• Recognizes uncertainties of transportation revenue forecasts

• Creates reservoir of prioritized projects

• Allows flexibility to advance projects if additional revenues arise

• Provides greatest regional benefit if current revenue forecasts prove true

System management used locally

• Freeway Operations: cameras, loop detectors, ramp meters, changeable message signs

• Arterial Operations: Coordinated signal routes

• High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (HOV) implemented on I-35 & I-394

• Bus only shoulder system

• 511 Traveler information

• Freeway Incident Response and Safety Team (FIRST)

• Pricing -- MnPASS and Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA)

Freeway Incident Response and Safety Team (FIRST)

Freeway Operations

• Cameras, loop detectors, and ramp meters – Most expansive system in the nation– First ramp meter placed into operation in 1969– Today, there are more than 400 ramp meters in

operation

22

Twin Cities Bus Only Shoulder Network

HOV conversion to MnPASS

• MnPASS implemented on I-394 in 2005– Approximately 13,600 transponders in operation.

MnPASS expanded on I-35W

•Opened in September 2009

•4500 transponders currently in operation

Current Initiatives

• Governor’s– Next Stage MnPASS

Implementation Study– I-94 Improvements between

Minneapolis and Saint Paul– Lower Cost/High Benefit

Congestion project acceleration

• Reassess major projects• Search for preservation and

lower cost safety, mobility solutions

• Continued expansion of the following networks:– Bus-only shoulder, – Freeway Ops, – Traffic Ops, – ATMS, – MnPASS – FIRST routes

• New operations and management tools… T.B.D.

4-27

January 28th Policymaker Workshop: What we learned

• We are not alone– Many other metro areas are dealing with

similar congestion issues– Options successfully instituted in other

states include: •tolling (even across all lanes)

•dynamic pricing

– Management strategies in a single lane can increase speeds in general purpose lanes

January 28th Policymaker Workshop attendee survey

•Most respondents agreed that a new investment approach is needed

•Respondents are supportive of a managed lane system in the metro region

•Support shown for lower cost high benefit type projects

MHSIS Timeline

April-May 2010 Stakeholder outreach

May 2010 Draft plan amendments available for review

August 2010 Public comment period begins

September 2010 Public hearing on plan amendments

October 2010 Record closes on public comment

November 2010 Council & MnDOT adopt final plan amendments