Froggie's Soapbox

This is my soapbox on various issues involving transportation and highways in Minnesota.  Some of the topics I cover have their own separate pages, which will be shown as a highlighted link of that topic.

Transportation Funding

The transportation funding picture in Minnesota is pretty dire.  MnDOT estimates that it has over $15 billion in needs in the Twin Cities area alone, yet will only have about $5 billion available, leaving a huge shortfall.  The situation is equally as bad outstate.

I have a webpage detailing the funding situation in Minnesota, as well as my suggestions on how to improve it.

Light Rail Transit

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HOV/BRT Lanes

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Bus-only Shoulders

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Freeway Improvements

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Interchanges

The Twin Cities has *A LOT* of interchange needs.  Many of the interchanges around the Twin Cities metro are very substandard, having been built in the 1960s or early 1970s, and a combination of deficient design and heavy traffic volumes have increased congestion at these interchanges.  In addition, many at-grade intersections on area expressways have become congested to the point where interchanges would be viable.  Unfortunately, the funding situation is so acute and costs have skyrocketed to the point where MnDOT will only be able to address a few of these interchange needs.

I have a webpage showing some suggested interchange redesigns for select interchanges around the metro.

Toll Roads/Toll Lanes

In the mid 1990s, pursuant to legislation passed by the state Legislature in 1995, proposals were floated to build 4 toll facilities in the Twin Cities area:  a rebuilt Wakota Bridge on I-494, an expanded I-494 along the Bloomington Strip, completion and expansion of MN 610, and construction of US 212 from I-494 to Cologne.  Of these 4, only the US 212 project was advanced.  However, the enabling legislation allowed any of the municipalities affected by a toll project to have veto authority on that project, and that's what Eden Prairie did with the US 212 toll proposal.

In more recent years, proposals have floated to build toll lanes on various Twin Cities freeways.  Called "FAST Lanes" by both U.S. Rep Kennedy and Gov. Pawlenty, these would be lanes built along existing freeways, with a toll charged to users of the lanes, while existing lanes remain free (albeit congested).  Such lanes currently exist on CA 91 as well as I-15 in the San Diego area.  A recent study on building a system of such toll lanes in the Twin Cities came to the conclusion that none of the toll lanes would pay for themselves...public money would still be required.

A partial example of a toll lane began operation in the Twin Cities in May, 2005.  Called a High Occupancy Toll, or HO/T lane, the formerly HOV lanes along I-394 were restriped and equipment added to charge a toll to solo users of the lanes (HOVs, buses, and motorcycles can still use the lanes for free), in order to better utilize the lanes.  This has worked fairly well east of MN 100, where the HO/T lanes are barrier seperated.  Problems arose west of MN 100, though.  To simplify enforcement and operation, MnDOT mandated that the lanes be tolled 24/7.  This led to the effective loss of one lane in each direction during off-peak hours, as the HOV lanes west of MN 100 were the inside lanes on each side of I-394, were not barrier seperated, and were open to all traffic for the 21 hours a day that HOV lane restrictions were not in effect.  The result was heavy congestion for reverse- and midday-commuters.  Initial experience suggests that a majority of drivers would rather wait in traffic than pay as little as $0.25 to bypass the congestion.  This initial experience combined with calls to drop the 24/7 toll restrictions and threats of legislation from state Legislators prompted MnDOT to drop the 24/7 toll requirement.  The lanes are tolled for roughly 5 hours a day, and are free to all traffic during off-toll times.  The barrier-seperated lanes east of MN 100 remain tolled 24/7, though.

Return to Froggie's Minnesota Rant
Thoughts on a Fantasy Twin Cities Transit System
A Review of Freeway Planning at Downtown Minneapolis, from 1963
Return to Twin Cites Highways

Page last modified 15 September, 2005