Minnesota Highway History

In June 1970, the Department of Highways of the State of Minnesota contracted with North Star Research and Development Institute to undertake a study of "The Economic Impact of The Freeway System on the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area". The economic impact of the freeway system on the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area is widespread and effects numerous aspects of the life of the citizens of the region. The ramifications of the freeway system extend into many aspects of our activities -- social and economic. Because the interrelationships between social and economic factors are complex and due to constraints on both time and resources, it was decided to isolate one particular aspect of the freeway system and study that in some detail. The economic impact was selected as the most fruitful to examine at this time. This report, therefore, relates only to the economic aspects of the impact of the Metropolitan Area freeway system. The economic impact analysis covers six vital areas of the public and private economy that have been identified with freeway construction and use. These six areas are as follows: 1. Land Use Changes and Potential 2. Effects on Retail Trade 3. Effects on Residential Property Values 4. The Alteration of Property Tax Patterns 5. Economic Impact of the Freeway System on Industrial and Commercial Transportation 6. The General Economic Impact on the Community

Mass transit's role in the overall motorized person transportation complex in the large metropolitan area is an important one. A quantitative definition of that role can therefore contribute substantially to the growing body of knowledge which will have application in an integrated approach to the solution of the metropolitan area's transportation problems - that is, an approach incorporating all vehicle and motorized person travel in the metropolitan area and the major factors influencing its patterns, such as land use and socio-economic activities. This publication reports the results of a study of mass transit person movement in the Minneapolis and St. Paul urban area. The study was undertaken jointly by the Minnesota Department of Highways, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, and the Twin Cities Metropolitan Planning Commission. A separate report will be published by the Twin Cities Metropolitan Planning Commission. The raw data for both publications were mainly obtained from a comprehensive body of travel survey data collected in 1958 in the Twin Cities Area Transportation Study, which was conducted by the Minnesota Highway Department in cooperation with the Bureau of Public Roads. The objectives of this report are to describe the present characteristics of mass transit travel in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and identify the major factors influencing usage of the mass transit mode. These determinations, in a quantified form, provide basic relationships for planning and forecasting the future role of mass transit as a mode of person travel in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

A segment of Trunk Highway 100 (T.H. 100 commonly called "Belt Line") has served since the 1930's as a circumferential and urban distributor route on the western side of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A segment of the proposed Interstate Freeway system, to be opened around the year 1965, will provide a new "super" Belt Line located west of the present one. This is a comparative study of the present and proposed Belt Line routes.

This report from 1946 surveys the traffic in the Minneapolis Central Business District. It was a precursor to the construction of the interstate highway system.

Due to a number of reasons the Transportation Planning Program is behind schedule. Models are being calibrated and future networks based on a zonal system have not been developed. During this time the Minnesota Highway Department has been involved in a number of controversial freeway projects. Some of the legitimate questions raised about these projects center on the validity of the travel demand that forms an important part of the need and justification for the facility.

The "Twin Cities Metro Area Freeway System Characteristics" study was a cooperative data gathering and research effort designed to provide traffic engineers, transportation planners, administrators, and other interested persons with factual information about the Twin Cities freeways. It is the first study of this type in our area.

The Capitol Approach Interchange in St. Paul was opened in November 1969, providing a through route for southbound I-35E traffic into the downtown area and to the east and west on I-94. Beginning in the summer of 1968, traffic volumes on I-35E southbound during the morning peak hour were such that congestion and delays occurred between TH 36 and I-94. Breakdowns were almost a daily certainty, with the Maryland Avenue Ramp area the most severely affected. Several factors were suspected as possible causes, including: 1. inadequate downtown ramp terminal capacity. 2. roadway geometries, generally. 3. restricted width of the Cayuga Bridge, specifically. 4. weaving traffic. 5. combination of several of the factors. In January of 1969 the Traffic Research Section sought to determine the actual cause of the congestion and to recommend relief measures This activity culminated in the I-35E Ramp Metering Study conducted in July 19&9. This report covers the first in a series of Ramp Metering studies to be conducted in the Twin City Metropolitan Area by the Minnesota Highway Department

The general introduction to this report is designed to analyze the developments in highway transportation as they relate to the profound economic changes that have taken place in Minnesota and in our nation in the last forty years. This is incorporated into the analysis of the characteristics common to Luverne, Adrian, and Worthington, the specific subjects of the report. The communities will then be analyzed separately, with the impact of Interstate Freeway 90 serving as the primary focus of the report. The changing traffic and land use patterns in the communities, as a result of the advent of 1-90, will be utilized to examine various developments in Luverne, Adrian, and Worthington during the 1960's. Thus, in analyzing the impact of 1-90 on these communities, the major emphasis will be on past and present economic conditions as a guide for possible future developments.

This study is concerned with the effects of interstate freeways and their bypass routes around typical communities of 10,000 to 20,000 population - specifically Fergus Falls. The diversion of a major share of through traffic around the community rather than along the main thoroughfare through the Central Business District (CBD) carries away one or more potential customers per vehicle. Two logical questions arise from this: 1. What will happen to the downtown merchants in the community, especially along the main thoroughfare? 2. What effect will the decreased volume of traffic have on total gross sales of the area?

The extension of 1-35 around Duluth's downtown area must be undertaken in a manner which minimizes the adverse impacts of the highway facility and at the same time maximizes social and physical objectives formulated by the City. This study, undertaken by the City of Duluth, defines ten multiple use projects needed to minimize adverse impacts and achieve local objectives. Consistent with the provisions of the Federal-Aid Highway Program Manual (FHPM) 7-7-8 (PPM 90-5), this multiple use and joint corridor study analyzes and evaluates localized impacts of the freeway extension and provides recommendations regarding future physical, social and economic patterns. It includes project costs, a financial plan, and a schedule of actions to establish financial participation by various public and private entities and a time-frame in which these improvements should be provided. This joint development study is a continuation of the Duluth Corridor Study, an interdisciplinary study for the location and design of the transportation facility, undertaken by the firm of Eckbo, Dean, Austin and Williams in 1972. Many of the multiple use projects now being studied are a direct result of concepts presented in this earlier report.