The phrase,'Unsound Transit', was coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe Seattle where,"Light Rail Madness eats billions that could otherwise be devoted to truly efficient transportation technologies." The Puget Sound's traffic congestion is a growing cancer on the region's prosperity. This website, captures news and expert opinion about ways to address the crisis. This is not a blog, but a knowledge base, which collects the best articles and presents them in a searchable format. My goal is to arm residents with knowledge so they can champion fact-based, rather than emotional, solutions.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Minneapolis Local Road Funding Program

Funding for Local Roads

The Local Road Improvement Program (MN Statute 174.52) has three types funding accounts which provide funding assistance to local agencies in construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning projects with regional significance. The three accounts are the Trunk Highway Corridor Projects Account, the Routes of Regional Significance Account, and the Rural Road Safety Account. The legislature in the 2006 session approved an appropriation of $16 million into the Local Road Improvement Program divided equally between the Routes of Regional Significance Account ($7.65 million) and Rural Road Safety Account (7.65 million).

The Trunk Highway Corridor Account is used as a loan to cities, towns, and counties to assist in paying the local share of trunk highway projects that have local costs related to the trunk highway improvement and are not funded or are only partially funded with other state and federal funds. In 2003, the Legislature authorized $20 million of General Obligation (GO) Bonds for this account with the purpose to provide loans to local government to help them pay their cost participation share of MN/DOT projects. To date only two cities have utilized this funding tool. There is still approximately $15 million in loan authority available in this account.

This funding program is available for projects that have local costs related to Mn/DOT trunk highway improvements and are not funded or are only partially funded with other state and federal funds. This funding is available until the $20 million of GO bonds are used. If interested in utilizing this loan program, please work with your Mn/DOT District State Aid Engineers and Mn/DOT Project Managers to determine if your project cost share is eligible to participate in this loan program.

The Routes of Regional Significance Account is used as a grant for expenditures as specified to cities, towns, and counties to assist in paying the costs of constructing or reconstructing city streets, county highways, or town roads with statewide or regional significance that have not been fully funded through other state, federal, or local funding sources. The State Aid for Local Transportation Office has established procedures for the selection of projects in this account based upon the consideration of:

1. the availability of other state, federal, or local funds;
2. the regional significance of the route;
3. effectiveness of the proposed project in eliminating a transportation system deficiency;
4. the number of persons who will be positively impacted by the project;
5. the project’s contribution to other local, regional, or state economic development or redevelopment efforts; and
6. ability of the local unit of government to adequately provide for the safe operation and maintenance of the facility upon project completion.



The Rural Road Safety Account is used as a grant for counties to assist in paying the costs of capital improvement projects on County State Aid Highways (CSAH’s) that are intended primarily to reduce traffic crashes, deaths, injuries and property damage. Eligibility for project selection must be based on the ability of each proposed project to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes.

During the 2006 Legislative session, the legislature approved an appropriation of $16 million to fund the Local Road Improvement Program from the bond proceeds account in the Minnesota State Transportation Fund. The session law identifies $7.65 million for the Routes of Regional Significance Account with one earmark project of $500,000 for Freeborn County (CSAH 46) and $7.65 million for the Rural Road Safety Account with one earmark for the overpass on TH 10 in the city of Staples. The Rural Road Safety Account excludes the 8 metropolitan counties.

Projects in Routes of Regional Significance Account must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. Be a local road construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning project.
2. Eliminate a transportation deficiency.
3. Demonstrate the regional significance of the route by being classified as a minor collector or higher unless it meets one of the following criteria; a) identified in a regional plan as a farm-market artery, b) part of a 10-ton route system, c) part of an economic development plan, d) serves as a regional tourist destination, e) provides capacity or congestion relief to a parallel trunk highway or county road, and f) is a connection to the IRC system, trunk highway, or a county road.
4. Be supported by agency board or council and other local agencies impacted by the project.
5. Consider availability of other funding sources.
6. Be able to deliver an approved project ready for letting by April 1, 2007.
7. Be non-controversial.
8. Have a minimum expected life of the project of 10 years.
9. Be located on a CSAH, MSAS, county road, city street, or township road and owned by the county, city or township.
10. Provide letters of support from other local agencies or public/private parties impacted by the improvement. For example, letters of support from area businesses regarding the impact and benefit of constructing a road to a 10-ton design standard.

Preference will be given to agencies who did not receive funding in 2005 from this program.

Eligibility criteria for projects in Rural Road Safety Account must meet the following:

1. Is on a designated county state aid highway, as defined in the Minnesota Rules 2003 State Aid Operations Chapter 8820.
2. Reduce or eliminate a safety related road transportation deficiency which will reduce traffic crashes, deaths, injuries, or property damage.
3. Be a safety strategy identified in Minnesota’s Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan.
4. Be supported by county board and other agencies if impacted by the project.
5. Be able to deliver an approved project ready for letting by April 1, 2007.
6. Be non-controversial.
7. Operate and maintain the highway for the useful life of the improvement.
8. Provide letters of support from other local agencies and public/private parties impacted by the improvement (desired, not required).



The following Counties are not eligible for participation in this account: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington.

at 3/19/2008 07:46:00 PM
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