Unified Planning Work Program
A regional approach to transportation planning
The 2026 Unified Planning Work Program outlines and documents the transportation-related planning activities in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area for the upcoming year. The Metropolitan Council serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the region and facilitates the cooperative, continuing, and comprehensive transportation planning process for the region.
The work program promotes a unified, regional approach to transportation planning in order to achieve regional goals and objectives. The UPWP also documents federal, state, and local transportation planning expenditures for the year. This spending includes staff time dedicated to each work activity as well as funds for consultant transportation planning studies.
The work program includes:
- A summary of all transportation planning work the Met Council will lead or be involved in over the year.
- A schedule for the completion of projects and other major tasks.
- The proposed budget for each activity.
The Unified Planning Work Program (PDF) serves as the Metropolitan Council’s application for US Department of Transportation planning funds and describes the planning work that will be partially federally funded. In addition, there are transportation planning activities that are fully regionally funded. These planning activities are described separately in the Regional Transportation Planning Work Program. Comments may also be submitted on the Regional Work Program (PDF).
2026 activity summary
The federal Unified Planning Work Program is organized around five work task categories. Each category has several tasks and proposed studies that will help accomplish that work activity.
1. Planning and programming process
The region’s transportation planning and programming process includes the Transportation Improvement Plan, which describes all regional federally funded transportation projects, and the Regional Solicitation, which allocates federal transportation funds to locally initiated regional projects. This task provides planning and administrative support for this work and for the Transportation Advisory Board, its subcommittees, and other committees involved in regional transportation planning process. In 2026, work will continue on the Regional Solicitation Evaluation study to tie project funding selection processes to the 2050 Transportation Policy Plan and begin developing the Community Assessment & Engagement Guide.
2. Modal system planning
Transportation modes are the different systems that move people or goods within and throughout the region. The Met Council coordinates and plans for highways, transit, bicycles, pedestrians, freight, and aviation. In 2026, staff will continue working on seven modal studies including the Metropolitan Highway System Harms, Impacts, & Mitigation Priorities Study; Integrating Travel Demand Management into Highway Planning Processes; Regional Microtransit Policy Framework; Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Coordinated Plan; Safer Connections to Transit; Regional Sidewalk Dataset Study, Phase 1; and a Pedestrian & Bicycle Demand Estimation Tool. New studies will also kick off, including the Managed Lane System Study, Phase 4; Existing Interchange Modernization Study; Regional Sidewalk Dataset Study, Phase 2; and Complete Streets Local Implementation Guide.
3. Long-range system planning
This work relates to planning policies, studies, and federal and state requirements for regional transportation planning that cross all modes. It includes preparing and implementing the region’s long-range plan; informing land use planning activities related to transportation, equity, and environmental justice planning; environmental and air quality planning activities; and transportation finance. The work within this area strongly ties to helping understand and develop strategies for how regional transportation investments can help achieve the goals and objectives of the regional development guide and Transportation Policy Plan. In 2026, staff will begin developing technical assistance material to support the region’s local governments to update their comprehensive plans to align with Imagine 2050 and the 2050 Transportation Policy Plan.
4. Travel research and modeling
These activities provide data and inputs into the Regional Travel Demand Model. The Met Council uses the Regional Travel Demand Model to estimate future travel behavior and the level of demand placed on future transit and highway systems. This tool is instrumental in prioritizing and planning future transportation network improvements. In 2026, staff will continue their participation in the Transportation Research Program and ActivitySim projects as well as complete the evaluation of forecast accuracy and defining public health destinations for further accessibility analysis.
5. Short-range planning and performance monitoring
This work includes adopting and reporting regional transportation performance measures and targets, as well as supporting the Congestion Management Process (CMP). The process is a regional, cooperative activity that helps identify the causes of congestion and develops strategies to help mitigate it. The CMP prioritizes Travel Demand Management strategies in lieu of highway expansion. In 2026, the Congestion Management Process Pilot Corridor Analysis will wrap up and recommend any changes needed to the CMP Corridor Analysis Handbook.