Transportation Policy Plan

The Transportation Policy Plan (TPP) is the region’s long-range transportation plan. It is part of a family of policy plans, including the Housing, Regional Parks, and Water Resources Policy Plans. Together, these plans describe the regional actions for achieving the vision, values, and goals set in the regional development guide.

The current 2040 TPP was originally adopted in 2014 and updated in 2018 and 2020. It is set on the foundations of Thrive MSP 2040, the latest regional development guide. The TPP meets federal and state requirements for long-range transportation planning. The TPP covers at least 20 years of transportation investments.

The Met Council is currently developing the 2050 Transportation Policy Plan, which happens alongside the 2050 update to the regional development guide. The 2050 TPP will be considered for adoption in late 2024.

Timeline

• Stakeholder engagement — The policy plan team will be engaging in a variety of ways with regional stakeholders from residents of the region and advocacy organizations, to technical partners and government leaders throughout the creation of the plan. Learn more about our public engagement plan.
• Contributing studies — From the last policy plan update until the 2050 plan is published, the transportation planning team leads a series of studies and plans that provide research, data, and emerging trends that help shape the direction of the TPP. Read more about contributing studies in the Unified Planning Work Program.
• Regional vision, values, and goals — The 2050 regional development guide will define the underlying vision, values, and goals for system plans like the TPP. These plans are developed alongside one another and transportation-specific considerations that inform the regional vision, values, and goals will be gathered through TPP development.
• Policies and actions — The TPP will define policies and actions that define the regional approach to specific issues and the actions transportation partners will take toward achieving goals. This work includes taking count of existing policies and actions, identifying what is missing and opportunities for improvement, eliminating what is unnecessary, and developing new policies and actions.
• Chapters — The TPP includes chapters that provide an overview of the regional transportation system, detail policies and actions for achieving plan goals, describe of plan finances, and cover specific investments by transportation mode and important topics.

Work groups

The 2050 TPP is being developed with technical and policy feedback from two special work groups:

• The 2050 TPP Technical Working Group is a forum for transportation and planning professionals to provide detailed technical feedback on the 2050 TPP content, development process, and contributing studies.
• The 2050 TPP Advisory Work Group serves to review plan development, its relation to the 2050 regional development guide, and provide guidance to Met Council staff on policy issues. The Advisory Work Group includes members of the Met Council, Transportation Advisory Board, and other agency decision makers.