Minnesota's District/Area Transportation Partnership Process - Volume I: Cross-Case Analysis

Abstract

This report presents the results of a study conducted by the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies on Minnesota's district/area transportation process (ATP). Building upon existing planning processes, the ATPs involve a broad range of transportation professionals, elected officials, special interest groups, and the public in developing the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Through eight case studies, one for each district/ATP, and a cross-case analysis, the study documents information gathered from ATP members and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) on the key features of the ATP process. A summary of the perceived strengths and challenges for the three themes of partnership, prioritization, and planning shows that several of the strengths and challenges appear more than once across the three themes.

Volume I of the report includes the cross-comparison of ATP processes and practices, findings from the common characteristics of the research data, and issues and challenges identified by ATP members in the interviews.

As the ATPs and Mn/DOT explore the possibility of future changes, the cross-cutting issues in the ATP process are: the composition of ATP membership; the nature of public involvement; decentralized decision making; enhancement projects; ranking regional significance; intermodalism; urban and rural tension; fiscal constraint; and the role of planning in the ATP process.

Volume II includes eight case studies that report the data heard from the members of the eight ATPs. It also contains other perspectives from the point of view ofMn/DOT's Central Office, federal agencies, non-ATP members and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) directors.