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Northeastern Minnesota/ Western Wisconsin Issues
- Northeast Minnesota is the center of Minnesota’s mining industry and produces over 80% of iron mined in the US)
- Freight from the Northeast Minnesota consist primarily of metallic ore (taconite) shipped to the Midwest states and Canadian provinces
- Railroads and the Great Lakes water ports are the principle modes carrying bulk freight.
- The Lake Superior ports ship substantial tonnage of coal arriving by rail for the Mountain states
- The Duluth-Superior ports are the primary gateway for oversize freight into the central US
- Major issues being addressed in Plan
- “Super Haul” or freight highway corridors that could support heavier loads or over-dimension movements more efficiently
- Improved access to intermodal rail service in Duluth/Superior
- Container on barge services on the Great Lakes from the Ports of Duluth/Superior
- Global economic and trade trends related to potential impacts on timber and mining industries.
- Truck size and weight uniformity between Minnesota and Wisconsin for key industries
Western Minnesota Issues
- Western Minnesota’s principle industries are farming and food processing. Freight from Western Minnesota consists primarily of farm and food processing shipped to the Midwest, South and West/Southwestern states.
- Railroad terminals in Western Minnesota ship large amounts of farm products that arrive by truck from the Plains states.
- A substantial amount of warehousing freight is shipped to and from the Plain states
- Major issues being addressed in the Plan
- Truck size and weight uniformity with neighboring jurisdictions
- The expansion of intermodal options for the BNSF Dilworth facility
- The need for a “Western Truck Route” north/south truck route
- Improvements to the Lancaster border crossing
- Impact of NAFTA trade
- Impact of wind farms and energy changes on freight transport systems