New Releases

August 14 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today announced that the Minneapolis area will receive $133.3 million as one of the first communities to participate in a new federal initiative to fight gridlock.

Today’s announcement follows an eight-month nationwide competition to select a handful of communities to join the Department’s Urban Partnership program, aimed to reduce traffic congestion using approaches like congestion pricing, transit, tolling, and teleworking.

Under the agreement between the Department and the Minnesota Department of Transportation; Twin Cities Metropolitan Council; University of Minnesota; Minnesota Valley Transportation Authority; Hennepin County; Anoka County; Dakota County; Ramsey County; Scott County; and the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota State Legislature must provide MnDOT with the legislative authority needed to put the plan in place within 90 days following the opening of the 2008 session of the Minnesota State Legislature, with all projects in operation by September 30, 2009.

“Minneapolis needs solutions that work now, not years and years from now,” Secretary Peters said. “We are committed to working with leaders in the Twin Cities to make sure that traffic snarls don’t bring this region to a stand-still.”

As part of Minnesota’s plan, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes will replace High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes along I-35W from 66th Street to Burnsville Parkway, speeding commutes into the Twin Cities while also giving drivers new options for getting home faster, Secretary Peters said. Additionally, shoulder lanes will operate as HOT lanes during congested periods and will charge tolls based on the levels of traffic.

In addition, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will be able to use $13.2 million of the funding immediately to purchase new buses and equipment, Secretary Peters said. The Minnesota plan also includes upgraded technology throughout the area to improve mobility for motorists and transit operators and give drivers real-time traffic and transit information. Additionally, leaders plan to shift an additional 500 workers to either a flexible work schedule or to telecommuters, she said.

“We’re extremely pleased that our Urban Partnership Agreement has been approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “The UPA will give us additional tools to combat traffic congestion through innovative technologies, transit improvements and other techniques. Our state is especially grateful to our federal partners for their continued assistance as we continue the recovery process and begin rebuilding the I-35W bridge.”

“America’s roads, railways, waterways and air space have experienced an incredible increase in traffic congestion in recent years. This is a comprehensive problem that must be addressed immediately – not ten or twenty years down the road,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I commend DOT for creating this new innovative initiative to address congestion in the Nation’s cities. As an Urban Partner, Minneapolis has developed strategies involving several alternatives, including transit, telecommuting, tolling, and technology, to relieve traffic congestion in the short term.”

“I’m very grateful to the broad-based, bi-partisan coalition of mayors and legislators from throughout the I-35W corridor who helped us make this happen,” Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said. “We were able to seize this incredible opportunity only because we worked collaboratively to develop a shared vision for I-35W that includes transit. This funding not only helps us realize our plans to significantly expand and improve bus transit downtown, but it also brings us a giant step closer to our vision of dedicated bus-rapid-transit on -I35W south of downtown.”

The Secretary noted that every Urban Partner selected proposed some form of congestion pricing. These direct user fees have the advantage both of reducing the enormous costs of congestion, and also of raising funds more effectively than the gas tax does to help states and cities build and maintain critical transportation infrastructure, she said.

“Minneapolis commuters need solutions that work, not promises that don’t,” Secretary Peters stated, adding that the Urban Partnership Agreement “gives commuters new hope, new choices, and new paths home.”