ITEM 6.1 I94 Corridorot CITYOF 0
MINNESOTA g
DEPARTMENT INFORMATION
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT:
Administration
Request for
City Council Action
REQUESTOR: MEETING DATE:
Lori Johnson, City Administrator July 8, 2013
PRESENTER(s): REVIEWED BY' ITEM #:
Lori Johnson, City Administrator 6.1
AGENDA ITEM DETAILS
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommend adoption of attached Resolution Requesting Inclusion of 1-94 West Corridor Expansion in
the Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MNSHIP)
ARE YO U SE E K I NG APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT?
No
IS A PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED?
No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
At the Joint City Council meeting with Albertville and St. Michael, Steve Bot, St. Michael City
Administrator and Chair of the 1-94 Corridor Coalition gave an update on Coalition activities. He further
informed the Councils that St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis is requesting adoption of the attached resolution
that requests that the 1-94 West expansion project be included in MNSHIP. The resolution: discusses the
importance of this corridor and the need for improvement. The corridor represents 1.6 percent of the
system but 40 percent of the congestion on the system occurs on this 1.6 percent. The Otsego Council
requested that adoption of the resolution be added to this agenda.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: X ATTACHED Ei NONE
• Letter from St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis
Resolution 2013-40
POSSIBLE MOTION
Please word motion as you would like it to appear in the minutes.
Motion to approve the Resolution Requesting Inclusion of 1-94 West Corridor Expansion in the
Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MNSHIP).
BUDGET INFORMATION
FUNDING: BUDGETED: ❑YES
N/A
DNO
ACTION TAKEN
o APPROVED AS REQUESTED o DENIED
COMMENTS:
oTABLED ci OTHER (List changes)
June 19, 2013
Subject: West Interstate 94 Expansion
Dear Interstate 94 Stakeholder:
As you may be aware, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is in the process of
finalizing an update to their Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP). "MnSHIP" sets a
new financially constrained 20 year vision for transportation investment in Minnesota that focuses
primarily on system preservation, with limited major highway expansion in the Twin Cities Region.
MnSHIP, as current1v proposed, includes zero major expansion for Interstate 94 or other highways in
Greater Minnesota. With newly appointed MnDOT Commissioner Charlie elle recently given the
green light from Governor Dayton to make the case for increased transportation funding during- the
upcoming 2014 Leqislative Session and the new MnSHIP year 2033 vision due to the Legislature this
fall, the timing is right to make a final push for including expansion of 1-94 in this new Plan.
As you know, the 1-94 West Corridor is a huge economic engine for cities and counties in Central and
Western Minnesota and also the Twin Cities Region. In fact, as an international truck freight corridor,
1-94 is one of the highest tonnage and value truck corridors in Minnesota, and has been recognized
by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as a freight corridor that will be "highly congested" by
the year 2040 from the Twin Cities all the way to North Dakota. The existing federal transportation
authorization bill, MAP -21, requires States to address freight bottlenecks such as 1-94 using a
performance used planning and investment approach. Many existing and previous MnDOT plans
have identified performance based expansion needs along 1-94 to address freight, congestion and
safety problems between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. 1-94 is also critically important to the
Minnesota tourism industry, transporting 1.85 million visitor trips annually to the Alexandria and
Brainerd Lakes Regions.
Given these startling and concerning facts, on behalf of the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization
(APO) Board, I am requesting your community's support in respectfully requesting Commissioner
Zelle to include Interstate 94 expansion from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud in the new Minnesota State
Highway (investment Plan (MnSHIP). Please consider adopting the attached resolution and
submitting it to Commissioner Zelle no later than July 15th to join the APO in this important message.
Should you have any questions regarding this effort, please contact Scott Mareck, St. Cloud APO
Executive Director.
Thank you very much in advance for your support!
Sincerely,
Mayor Dave Kleis
Chair, St. Cloud Area Planning Organization
RESOLUTION NO.: 2013 - 40
CITY OF OTSEGO
COUNTY OF WRIGHT, MINNESOTA
REQUESTING INCLUSION OF 1-94 WEST CORRIDOR EXPANSION
IN THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGHWAY INVESTMENT PLAN (MNSHIP)
WHEREAS; the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is in the process of finalizing a new
Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP) that will serve as a guide for investment on the
Minnesota State and Interstate highway system through the year 2033; and
WHEREAS; this new financially constrained plan proposes to focus the majority of future MnDOT
highway investment on system preservation, with limited major expansion projects included in the Twin
Cities Region and no major expansion projects included in Greater Minnesota, including the Interstate 94
West Corridor; and
WHEREAS; MnDOT has numerous existing and recent plans, including the 1-94 Interregional Corridor
Plan (2002), the Central Minnesota Regional Freight Study (2011), and the 2028 Statewide Highway
Investment Plan (2009) that all identify performance used expansion needs for the Interstate 94 West
Corridor, and
WHEREAS; the Federal Highway Administration FH VA has identified the Interstate 94 West Corridor
currently as "highly congested" from the Twin Cities to St. Cloud, with high freight congestion levels
forecasted to extend to North Dakota by the year 2040, and
WHEREAS; the new federal transportation bill, "MAP -21", requires State Departments of Transportation
to address freight bottlenecks such as Interstate 94 using performance based planning and investment
criteria, and
WHEREAS; the Interstate 94 West Corridor from St. Michael to St. Cloud has 40 percent of the
congestion on MnDOT's "Interregional Corridor" (IRC) system, yet accounts for only 1.6 percent of this
system; and
WHEREAS; crash and severity rates along Interstate 94 between Rogers and Albertville are nearly twice
the statewide average; and
WHEREAS; the Interstate 94 West Corridor is critical to the tourism industry in Minnesota,
accommodating 1.85 million visitor trips annually to the Alexandria and Brainerd Lakes Regions; and
WHEREAS; at the request. of Governor Mark Dayton, MNDOT is embarking on an advocacy campaign
leading into the 2014 Legislative session to educate Minnesotans about the need for additional funding
to construct many of the documented unmet State transportation needs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; the City of Otsego does hereby request the Minnesota
Department of Transportation to specifically include the Interstate 94 West Corridor from Rogers to St.
Cloud as an unmet performance based need for major capacity expansion in its year 2033 Minnesota
State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP).
MOTION BY:
SECOND BY:
ALL IN FAVOR:
THOSE OPPOSED:
ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Otsego this 8th day of July, 2013.
CITY OF OTSEGO
--
Tanni Loff, City Clerk