The Metropolitan Council is responsible for regional transportation planning, including aviation, highway, and transit systems and operations. The Met Council is the federally-designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the seven-county Twin Cities metro area. This means we must provide a continuing, coordinated, comprehensive transportation planning process in order to obtain federal transportation funds.
The Met Council must prepare a long-range (20-year) Transportation Policy Plan for the region every four years. We select projects for federal funding and prepares a four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), through the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB), made up of local elected officials, and TAB's Technical Advisory Committee. The TIP includes all federally funded transportation projects, and development of the TIP includes significant input from citizens and interested groups.
Transit planning
We work with Metro Transit and other regional transit operators, MnDOT, and county regional railroad authorities on planning, environmental and engineering studies for transitway corridors. We work to implement the policies and values outlined in Thrive MSP 2040 and the Transportation Policy Plan. Service planning for specific transit routes is completed by the transit operators.
Highway planning
We work with MnDOT and the counties in highway planning activities to ensure regional policies are implemented. Staff participate in interagency corridor studies and administering the Right-of-Way Acquisition Loan Fund (RALF). More about Highway Planning
Bicycle and pedestrian planning
We work with MnDOT and local units of government on bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts in the region. Staff provide technical assistance to local units of government and information to the public on bicycle and pedestrian issues. More about bicycle and pedestrian planning
Travel forecasting
We maintain and use future year travel forecast models to support planning for new transportation facilities. We periodically conduct a Travel Behavior Inventory to validate the models used to forecast regional demands. More about travel forecasting
Allocating federal funds
The Met Council and the TAB select projects to receive federal transportation funding through the Regional Solicitation process. The two-year selection process involves soliciting projects from MnDOT, cities, counties, and transit providers. TAB and its Technical Advisory Committee then evaluate and rank the projects, and select the final approved projects.
Air quality planning
Our long-term planning incorporates congestion management, transportation, land use, and air quality planning, as required by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA).
Aviation planning
The Met Council is responsible for preparing and maintaining the Twin Cities regional aviation system plan. We coordinate aviation planning and development activities with local, state, and federal governmental units, airport users, and residents. More about aviation planning
Contact us
For more information about any of these planning activities, contact our transportation planning staff.