Statewide transportation planning
 Let's go! What's happening this month in statewide transportation planning?
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) plans for all the ways people and goods move throughout Minnesota — individually for each mode and as a multimodal system. Find the following updates and ways to participate below.
- Apply to the Greenhouse Gas Emission Impact Assessment Technical Advisory Committee.
- Learn about the new funding for metropolitan planning organizations for emissions and travel modeling.
- Read Minnesota’s first statewide Resilience Improvement Plan.
- Apply for a MnDOT planning role.
Apply to the Transportation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Impact Assessment Technical Advisory Committee
Committee member applications due June 25, 2024
MnDOT is looking for people to join the Transportation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Impact Assessment Technical Advisory Committee. Members will assist in the review of a new GHG emissions impact assessment under development by the Department of Transportation. The impact assessment is a new legislative requirement that comes from the 2023 legislative session. You can learn more about the legislation on the Technical Advisory Committee webpage.
Who should apply
The open appointments are for non-state employees. The agency is seeking expertise in travel demand modeling, emissions modeling, traffic forecasting, land use planning or transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions assessment and analysis. Candidates with interdisciplinary expertise in areas like public health or natural systems management are encouraged to apply. No more than two may be employees of a political subdivision, such as a city or county. MnDOT will appoint up to four open seats.
Committee member roles and responsibilities
Committee members will be tasked with reviewing, validating and advising the Department of Transportation on the GHG impact assessment as it is developed.
Members will be asked to join monthly two-hour-long hybrid meetings. Pre- and post-work may be required making this a 3-5 hour per month time commitment. Members will have term limits.
How to apply
If you are interested in applying, go to the Technical Advisory Committee webpage by end of day on June 25, 2024 to learn more.
Questions? Please reach out to Shannon Engstrom, shannon.engstrom@state.mn.us.
Learn about the new funding for metropolitan planning organizations for emissions and travel demand modeling
During the 2024 session, the Minnesota State Legislature approved $800,000 in grant funding to develop regional transportation models for the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) located in Greater Minnesota, outside of the seven-county metropolitan area.
MPOs are important transportation planning and decision-making bodies for urban areas of more than 50,000 people. MPOs are responsible for the development and coordination of the transportation planning process across their metropolitan regions.
The funding is intended to support MPO regional transportation modeling work to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in their metropolitan planning areas. Regional transportation modeling efforts will supplement MnDOT’s statewide travel demand modeling work, which also received funding in the 2024 legislative session. Both regional and statewide models will become important tools in helping local, regional and state transportation planning to meet Minnesota’s climate goals, including the state’s net zero GHG emissions reduction goal for transportation by 2050 and the related goal of reducing per capita VMT.
MnDOT staff are refining the details for the MPO grant requirements and timeline. MnDOT will share further details on the grant distribution process with Greater Minnesota MPOs as it is available.
Learn more about Minnesota’s MPOs at https://dot.state.mn.us/planning/program/mpordcatp.html.
Read Minnesota’s first statewide Resilience Improvement Plan
MnDOT has completed Minnesota’s first statewide Resilience Improvement Plan (RIP) and submitted the draft plan to FHWA for approval. The RIP will guide resilience funding to where it is most needed and enable Minnesota to take full advantage of federal funding made available through the PROTECT Formula Program.
The PROTECT Formula Program was authorized under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will provide funding for projects that help make the surface transportation system more resilient to natural hazards related to climate change. Out of the $7.3 billion PROTECT Formula Program, Minnesota will receive close to $23 million each year through federal fiscal year 2026.
The draft plan is available on the Office of Sustainability and Public Health (OSPH) website.
Upon final approval of the RIP, OSPH plans to launch an interactive and publicly available GIS-based Climate Map as a tool for identifying vulnerable assets and roadways via aggregated climate risk scores. The methodology for determining climate risk scores is laid out in the RIP and includes every roadway in Minnesota. Additionally, PROTECT FY26-29 Programming Guidance will be released this fall.
For more information, contact Cole Norgaarden, Principal Planner at cole.norgaarden@state.mn.us.
Make planning happen at MnDOT!
MnDOT is hiring several transportation planning roles. Apply today!
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