Agenda - Council Work Session - 10/12/2021

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m DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NORTHWEST METRO Mississippi River Crossings Feasibility Analysis Context Analysis Report October 8, 2020 Introduction The Twin Cities Northwest Metro Area is one of the fastest growing areas in Minnesota. Growth in housing, population and employment is expected to continue at the same pace over the next twenty years. This growth has generated increased vehicular traffic loaded on the system for this region, resulting in more congestion, travel delay, and safety issues on area roadways. The Mississippi River forms a natural barrier to travel in this area. It is important to understand regional transportation needs as they relate to the three river crossings (101, 169, and 610), within the context of a rapidly growing area. There are three existing roadway crossings of the Mississippi River in this area — Trunk Highway (TH) 101 between Otsego and Elk River, TH 169/47 between Champlin and Anoka, and Highway 610 between Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids. The NW Metro Mississippi River Crossings Feasibility Analysis is just one step of many to understand the need for increased river crossing capacity. As part of this analysis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has requested a Context Analysis be completed. This Context Analysis includes a review of past studies, local municipal and county comprehensive plans, and future land use and transportation elements. It is both a Look Back and Look to the Future. It includes a comprehensive review of previous land use and transportation planning efforts related to the analysis area, as well as future planned land uses, transportation infrastructure and anticipated demographic changes that are likely to alter travel patterns in the future. Background River crossings in this area have been studied several times in the past few decades. In 1989, MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council requested the Transportation Advisory Board study major river crossing needs for the entirety of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. In 2002, MnDOT conducted an origin - destination study to better understand travel patterns of bridge users. In 2004, a scoping decision document entitled Northwest Metro Corridor and River Crossing Study was completed by MnDOT. The scoping decision analyzed and recommended various alternatives to develop a new river crossing and approach roadways in the Northwest Metro. Momentum behind this effort waned in the past decade as a result of several factors, including a lack of agreement regarding jurisdiction of a future road alignment and river crossing and ongoing state investments in nearby highway and interstate corridors . No one jurisdiction or collection of partners has emerged as a champion of this effort. MnDOT noted in the 2004 Scoping Decision Document that lack of funding and public opposition from some of the project stakeholders led to a decision to pause future plans for environmental documentation. This pause did not preclude the need for additional Mississippi River crossing capacity, which MnDOT maintained would be needed in the future. NW Metro Mississippi River Crossings Feasibility Analysis Page I 1