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.Â
Under existing regulations, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has the ultimate authority on the major highway project’s design. The Community Preferred Alternatives Act helps balance state and local decision-making to ensure that local residents and the elected officials who represent them have meaningful advisory roles on projects within their jurisdiction.Â
Minnesota’s trunk highway system is a network of state-owned roadways that spans across the state, connecting communities big and small. In these different contexts, state highways take various forms, from Greater Minnesota main streets to suburban arterials to large urban freeways.Â
Minnesota’s trunk highway system is a network of state-owned roadways that spans across the state, connecting communities big and small. In these different contexts, state highways take various forms, from Greater Minnesota main streets to suburban arterials to large urban freeways.Â
The decisions made on how to implement Minnesota’s greenhouse gas impact assessment for highways will have ramifications across the country; lessons learned from implementation will hold even more weight as states craft similar laws of their own.
There has been increasing pressure from elected officials, members of the Rethinking I-94 PAC, and the public to restore the at-grade options in the next stage of the project process and to fix flaws in the evaluation process and the criteria used to determine which alternatives are studied.
The flaws in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) criteria for evaluating alternatives on the Rethinking I-94 project created systematic issues that prevent a meaningful evaluation of, and comparison between, fundamentally different approaches to the corridor’s future.
A difficult Minnesota Legislative Session ended with transit cuts. But through collaboration with legislative leaders, community, and partner organizations, we defended past progress and established the foundation for future policy wins. Together, we made progress in all of our legislative priorities this year and will continue to advocate for forward-thinking, community-centered transportation reforms in 2026…
Our Streets-led and Supported Policies Included in Senate, House Transportation Bill, but 2023 VMT Win is Under Threat Budget bills are on the move as the Minnesota House and Senate pass omnibus transportation bills. Our Streets is tracking progress at the state capitol as we enter the last few weeks of the 2025 legislative session….
This legislation would transform Minnesota’s transportation decisions by prioritizing community impact. It would require MnDOT to give affected communities more input on major highway projects, enhance environmental justice protections, and create flexibility to improve transit and non-motorized infrastructure without tax increases.
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