State transportation departments notoriously operate in a “black-box” with little public information or accountability for decision-making on projects that impact communities across our state and account for billions each year in the state budget.
Our Streets aims to daylight this information and give the public access to information on projects that shape the world around them. This builds awareness and accountability for agency projects, creates greater transparency, and gives advocates of better transportation outcomes better access to information.
The legislation mandates that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to publish additional information on all trunk highway projects (with special attention to “major highway projects” costing at least $15M in metropolitan areas or $5M elsewhere) to provide detailed information to the public, including plain language descriptions, timelines, cost data, funding sources, design plans, and historical approval information.
Additionally, the bill requires MnDOT to develop a fiscal transparency dashboard that shows how transportation spending aligns with state objectives and performance targets, publish timely information about public meetings, and ensure community members, advocates, elected officials, members of the building trades, and other stakeholders have access to the most up-to-date, accurate information.
Specifically, the bill:
- Creates a centralized online portal for transportation project information that includes:
- Interactive mapping with GIS capabilities
- Comprehensive details on all trunk highway projects
- Information on projects completed, in progress, and planned for the next 10 years, including:
- Plain language descriptions of projects
- Detailed timelines and milestones
- GIS and traffic modeling data
- Cost and funding source information
- Project documentation and design plans
- Historical information about project approvals and changes
- Mandate that MnDOT publish timely information about public meetings related to projects
- Establish a fiscal transparency dashboard showing:
- Funding sources and expenditures
- How spending aligns with transportation goals and plan objectives
- Performance impacts of completed projects
- Modify existing performance standards and reporting requirements to include more comprehensive information about the trunk highway system performance
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We’ll let you know about action alerts, opportunities to testify, and other transportation-related legislative happenings.