Below are descriptions of the three approaches - A, B and C

 

Approach A: Focus on maintaining existing infrastructure (roads, bridges, roadside infrastructure) across the entire system; reduce investment in mobility, non-motorized transportation options, and local priorities.

 

More on Approach A: Some highlights of what this funding approach could mean along Minnesota’s state highway system:

Existing roads	Good ride quality on most state highways, though lower than today on all non-interstates.
Existing bridges	Less than 10% of bridges in poor condition. Many bridges repaired at optimal point in life-cycle. Few bridge closures.
Roadside Infrastructure	System upgrades are applied efficiently and approach alignment with life cycle costs.
Safety	Decline in annual fatalities and serious injuries on Minnesota roadways continues, but slows compared to current levels.
Interregional Corridor mobility	No additional capacity on connections between Greater Minnesota regional centers. Travel times remain similar to today on all but a few roads.
Twin Cities mobility	Approximately 1+ spot mobility improvement addressed each year. One new MnPASS Lane completed.
Bikes and Pedestrians	Shoulders are generally in good condition, allowing for a smooth ride on most state highways. Few pedestrian safety or access improvements are implemented that are not related to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Regional + Community Improvement Priorities	MnDOT addresses regional concerns and collaboration opportunities primarily through the priority and timing of bridge and pavement projects

 

What might Approach A look like 20 years into the future?

You are making the seven-hour drive from Winona to Bemidji to visit an old friend and spend a few days biking on state trails, and your planned route will take you through Rochester, the Twin Cities and Saint Cloud before heading north to complete your journey. Throughout your drive, you notice that over half of the roads that you will travel on have good pavement conditions, regardless of whether they are interstates or state highways. This makes for a smooth, comfortable drive. The route to Bemidji from Winona remains the same in 2032 as you remember it from 2012, but the drive through the Twin Cities takes longer due to persistent congestion from the US 52 / I-94 interchange all the way to St. Cloud. A bit north of Brainerd, you realize that increased traffic volumes makes passing very difficult on the two-lane sections of MN 371.

Upon reaching your destination, you and your friends immediately grab your bikes so you can get out on the trail and leave your worries behind. Your ride begins pleasantly on a highway with broad and well maintained shoulders, but there is no signage to indicate that you are on a bike trail and you have to pay close attention to where you are to make sure you don’t miss the trail’s departure point on the far side of the road. When you cross the highway, you feel exposed and unsafe. Later, when the trail again meets up and runs on a low-volume state highway, you are disappointed to find that there is a gravel shoulder. As a result, you ride in the highway travel lane where the road is smooth but there is less of a buffer between you and passing traffic.

 

 

Approach B: Focus on bridges and safety; maintain current investment in mobility, non-motorized transportation options, and local priorities; accept significant decline in pavement condition on low-volume roads.

 

More on Approach B: Some highlights of what this funding approach could mean along Minnesota’s state highway system:

Existing roads	Good ride quality on a majority of high-volume roads with declining ride quality on all non-interstate roads.
Existing bridges	Less than 10% of bridges in poor condition. Many bridges repaired at optimal point in life-cycle. Few bridge closures.
Roadside Infrastructure	Deteriorating culverts may fail and result in frequent/severe flooding. Sign visibility is reduced. Several rest areas close. Guardrail systems repaired but not upgraded.
Safety	Fatalities and serious injuries on Minnesota roadways continue to decline on an annual basis.
Interregional Corridor mobility	Limited improvements to flow, safety, and mobility on two-lane highways throughout the state. Travel times remain similar to today on all but a few roads.
Twin Cities mobility	Approximately 2+ spot mobility improvements addressed each year. Two new MnPASS Lanes completed.
Bikes and Pedestrians	Shoulders are generally in good condition, allowing for a smooth bicycle ride on most state highways. Few pedestrian safety or access improvements implemented that are not related to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Regional + Community Improvement Priorities	Engage stakeholders in collaborative efforts to identify and prioritize investment opportunities on state highways. Several projects funded each year that promote local objectives relating to economic competitiveness and quality of life.

 

What might Approach B look like 20 years into the future?

You are making the seven-hour drive from Winona to Bemidji to visit an old friend and spend a few days biking on state trails, and your planned route will take you through Rochester, the Twin Cities and Saint Cloud before heading north to complete your journey. You notice that the pavement conditions on the interstates and major roads that comprise most of your journey are much better than the low volume roads on which you start and end your trip. The route to Bemidji from Winona is much as you remember it in 2012, although congestion has gotten worse between the Twin Cities and St Cloud. A bit north of Brainerd, you notice that traffic volumes are higher on MN 371, but fortunately there are frequent passing lanes and bypass lanes to allow you to navigate slower moving vehicles.

 

Upon reaching your destination, you and your friend immediately grab your bikes so you can get out on the trail and leave your worries behind. Your ride begins on a highway and you are disappointed to find that there are cracks and depressions in the shoulders forcing you to keep your eyes on the pavement. You are glad when the trail crosses the highway to depart the right-of-way, but the crossing is unprotected, causing you to feel exposed and unsafe. Later, when the trail again meets up and runs on a state highway, you are disappointed to find that there is a gap in the trail where the shoulder narrows dramatically – at some points, you are forced to ride on the highway itself.

 

 

 

Approach C: Focus on bridges and safety; maintain current investment in mobility, non-motorized transportation options, and local priorities; accept significant decline in pavement condition on low-volume roads.

 

More on Approach C: Some highlights of what this funding approach could mean along Minnesota’s state highway system:

Existing roads	Good ride quality on interstates, but pavement condition on the rest of the system declines significantly.
Existing bridges	Less than 15% of bridges in poor condition. Few bridges repaired at optimal point in life-cycle. Weight restrictions on compromised bridges restrict freight movement.
Roadside Infrastructure	Deteriorating culverts may fail and result in frequent/severe flooding. Sign visibility is reduced. Several rest areas close. Guardrail systems repaired but not upgraded.
Safety	Fatalities and serious injuries on Minnesota roadways likely to continue decline on annual basis.
Interregional Corridor mobility	MnDOT makes improvements that improve traffic flow, safety and mobility on the interregional corridors with the most predicted delay.
Twin Cities mobility	Approximately 5+ spot mobility improvements addressed. Two - three new/reconstructed interchanges. Four new MnPASS Lanes completed.
Bikes and Pedestrians	Targeted expansion to the state’s bicycle and pedestrian networks, including improvements on many bridges. Investment complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act on all signalized intersections and for all curb ramps in system.
Regional + Community Improvement Priorities	MnDOT advances economic competitiveness and quality of life considerations through partnerships, design add-ons, and several small- and large- scale projects that address needs not associated with statewide performance targets.

 

What might Approach C look like 20 years into the future?

You are making the seven-hour drive from Winona to Bemidji to visit an old friend and spend a few days biking on state trails, and your planned route will take you through Rochester, the Twin Cities and Saint Cloud before heading north to complete your journey. You immediately notice that, while the interstates are in good condition, other roads are not; the roughness of TH 52 (a non-interstate route) has patches of poor pavement that makes driving the speed limit uncomfortable and puts significant wear and tear on your car. Although traffic is slow through the heart of the metro, new lanes and some additional interchanges on I-94 and TH 10 allow for smooth traffic flow heading into and leaving St. Cloud.

Upon reaching your destination, you and your friend immediately grab your bikes so you can get out on the trail and leave your worries behind. Your ride begins on a highway, and although the road itself shows signs of deterioration, the shoulder is wide, well maintained, and painted to indicate a bike path. Abundant signage alerts you to where you are along the trail. You are pleased to find that the trail’s highway crossing is protected by flashing lights and yellow markings that alert traffic to the presence of bicyclists. You also notice that gaps in the trail have been filled, so that no part of your ride is in the highway travel lane.

 

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