Ongoing and Upcoming Plans and Studies

Before and After Study Phase 2:

This project will continue previous work efforts to measure existing, proposed, and actual levels of Regional Solicitation scoring criteria and determine the outcome of projects on the region.  It will focus in particular on what types of projects ultimately lead towards achieving the goals of the Transportation Policy Plan and whether the Regional Solicitation is using the correct measures in its scoring criteria.  It will also identify how the scoring criteria can better tie in with federal performance targets and the Congestion Management Process.

For more information on this project, please contact David Burns at [email protected].
 

Twin Cities Highway Mobility Needs Analysis:

The goal of this study is to provide MnDOT with a mobility need monetary value to be incorporated into the next Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP) Update. It will identify a mobility need monetary value based upon performance measures and targets. The study began in 2020 and will conclude in 2021. The analysis is directly called for in the 2040 TPP Update’s Work Program under the Highways Performance Measures and Funding Decisions work task.

For more information on this project, please contact Steve Peterson at [email protected].
 

Pedestrian Safety Action Plan:

This project will include systemic crash data analysis to identify crash characteristics and risk factors for pedestrians, as well as working with regional stakeholders on identifying countermeasures and program recommendations, including the regional solicitation. The need for pedestrian crash data analysis is identified in the 2040 TPP’s Work Program and supports the Plan’s safety goal and its objective to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes and improve safety for all modes. Pedestrians are the initial focus for this crash data analysis because of the increase in fatalities and serious injuries for the most vulnerable travelers on the transportation system as other types of traffic deaths and injuries decrease.

For more information on this project, please contact Heidi Schalberg at [email protected].
 

Mobility Hub Planning Guide:

This project will develop a planning guide for regional stakeholders involved in the development of mobility hubs -- places where travelers can easily access and connect among multiple transportation options (including public transit, shared vehicles, and other modes).  The project will document the various mobility hub design and implementation options and provide specific guidance for both regional and local stakeholders as they plan, design, implement, and manage mobility hubs within the different contexts they are being considered. The planning guide is needed to ensure a consistent and successful customer experience for mobility hubs across different jurisdictions and in different contexts. The project will also deliver an analysis of local land use and transportation contexts where mobility hubs are best supported. The guide will also include an analysis of existing transportation services, land use, demographics and other factors in order to highlight areas with the highest need for and the most benefit from mobility hubs.

For more information on this project, please contact Daniel Pena at [email protected].
 

A Path to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption in the Twin Cities:

As metropolitan regions begin to shift to connected and autonomous vehicles and implement shared mobility options, there is a general consensus that both public and private vehicle fleets will become electrified. Electric vehicles in fact already widely exist in the market.  Fleet electrification can have many positive environmental benefits including climate mitigation and public health but may also require substantial changes in the regional electric grid and where and how vehicles are charged. This study on vehicle electrification is to plan a network of charging stations to support and encourage electric vehicle (EV) purchase and use in the Twin Cities. This study would summarize the role EVs can play in local climate mitigation, the hurdles to widespread EV adoption, current and planned energy production capacity and greenhouse gas mix, the capital and operating costs of EVs as compared to internal combustion engine vehicles and, national and local best practices and resources. The work will include determining how and if scenarios related to vehicle electrification should be included in the next update of the Regional Development Guide (Thrive MSP 2040) and seek to quantify regional benefits of electrification.

For more information on this project, please contact Tony Fischer at [email protected].

Detailed Congestion Management Process Corridor Analysis Methodology:

This study will be used by regional partners as a step-by-step process so that each of them can identify specific CMP strategies that apply to their corridors.  This study will seek to develop of a user-friendly handbook that details the processes required to develop an in-depth corridor congestion assessment.  This handbook will list the data required to perform a corridor assessment; a detailed description of how to process the data; templates for analyzing and presenting the results; an outline of how the results will be verified by the Council; and guidance on presenting and documenting the results of the corridor assessment. It is anticipated that the guidance provided in this study will be used in the Council’s Regional Solicitation selection process in the future. 

For more information on this project, please contact David Burns at [email protected].

RBTN Bikeway Facility Guidelines and Measures Study:

As the RBTN is expected to expand to serve regional growth, formalized measures for evaluating corridor spacing and route directness are needed to improve regional network planning and to supplement the review process for future RBTN additions. This study will be conducted to fulfill two primary purposes: to provide recommendations for preferred facility treatments on RBTN alignments in urban, suburban, and rural areas hosting the RBTN; and to develop guidelines for applying quantifiable measures when evaluating potential RBTN corridors and alignments.

For more information on this project, please contact Steven Elmer at [email protected].

Regional Transportation Investment Equity Evaluation: 

This study will engage the Council and Transportation Advisory Board in a discussion and evaluation regarding how transportation planning and investment decision-making occurs in the region and use an equity lens and evaluation process to determine where and how the planning and engagement processes can be changed to make the system more representative and transportation investment decisions more equitable. Specific recommendations and actions for improving equity in the regional planning and decision-making process will be developed, prioritized and identified for implementation.  During 2021 a work scope will be developed with input and engagement of Equity populations and a consultant selected and hired to begin the overall work, with the anticipation that the majority of the project work will continue on into 2022.  This process will also coordinate with the work of MnDOT in its Advancing Transportation Equity Initiative to select and utilize equity metrics and select metrics.

Est. Total Budget: TBD
Est. Start Date: September 2021
For more information on this project, please contact Amy Vennewitz at [email protected].

Regional Travel Demand Management Study:

The region has a goal to increase the number and share of trips taken by carpool, transit, bicycling, and walking as well as reducing transportation-related air emissions. While there are a variety of strategies to increase the availability of these options, the region’s last travel demand management study was completed in 2010 and much has changed since then. This includes the introduction of shared mobility options and mobility as a service, rapid changes in technology, the continued expansion of infrastructure like regional transitways, MnPASS, and regional bicycle travel facilities, and expanded interest in remote work resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. A Regional Travel Demand Management Study will research the latest and greatest strategies in the TDM and evaluate their potential implementation in the region. The results will be an updated set of strategies to encourage these options and encourage the reductions in single-occupant vehicle trips through travel demand management (TDM). Because TDM is best achieved as a regional strategy with many local stakeholders partnering together, the study will be a collaborative effort that includes state, regional, and local governments as well as businesses, property owners, and non-profits.

Total Budget: $200,000
Start Date: September 2021
For more information on this project, please contact Cole Hiniker at [email protected].

Functional Classification Process Updates:

This is the first year of a two-year effort to implement recommended changes from MnDOT’s metro-wide functional classification study.  This study will work closely with TAC Planning to update Appendix D of the 2040 Transportation Policy Plan and complete a peer review of how other MPOs review functional classification change requests.  Based on these findings and stakeholder input, the functional classification change request forms, website, and process will be amended.  MnDOT will also be a close partner in the study.

Total Budget: $60,000
Est. Start Date: September 2021
For more information on this project, please contact David Burns at [email protected].
 

Principal Arterial Intersection Conversion Study Update:

This is the first year of a multi-year effort to update the Principal Arterial Intersection Conversion Study, which was first completed in 2017.  The project will be co-led by MnDOT and will update the data used in the first study.  A database will be created in such a way that it can be updated with current data every two years prior to each Regional Solicitation as the study results are used in the scoring. 

Total Budget: $300,000
Est. Start Date: September 2021
For more information on this project, please contact Tony Fischer at [email protected].