State Legislation

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.