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In this Transportation Research Synthesis, results of a literature review are supplemented with findings from a survey of selected state departments of transportation (DOTs) and Minnesota counties. Nine state DOTs describe current practices or plans to develop new pollinator-specific partnerships; existing partnerships that have been expanded to address pollinators; and Adopt-a-Highway programs that support maintenance of vegetation in the ROW.

Existing needs were identified when working with public utilities in rights-of-way (ROW). The needs include working in congested corridors, what to do with abandoned infrastructure, not receiving accurate mapping data from utility providers, not receiving requested information, how to address 5G and other new infrastructure, and not having construction requirements or expectations of utility service providers. Minnesota statutes and administrative rules are discussed in terms of agency and utility owner responsibilities in relation to utilities within public ROW. State statutes and rules provide guidance for cities and counties to implement local ordinances. This project synthesizes existing best management practices used by cities and counties to manage utilities within public ROW. Best management practices were identified through an online survey and discussions with members of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). Additional conversations or interviews were conducted with select survey respondents who identified best practices or provided informative documents from their agencies.

This guidebook is based on the findings of Minnesota Local Road Research Board research report 2019RIC20, Managing Utility Congestion within Rights-of-Way, authored by Bryan Nemeth, Gina Aulwes, and Jammi Ladwig.

This Implementation Summary pertains to Report 2019RIC20, “Managing Utility Congestion within the ROW,” published December 2019.

Appendices for Report 2019RIC20, Managing Utility Congestion Within Rights-of-Way.

Public lands, including MnDOT rights of way, are often the site of encampments for unsheltered individuals. After encampments are abandoned, structures must be removed for safety reasons. This process can be hazardous. Dangerous materials, such as propane cylinders, intravenous needles, chemicals and waste material, present dangers to maintenance crews. Additionally, while law enforcement attempts to verify there are no people in the encampment, a significant hazard to MnDOT staff is a person who either did not leave or returned to the site after it was presumed abandoned. To address this need, a technological solution was sought that allows maintenance staff to determine the presence of a person inside a structure from a distance and without disturbing the individual. Thermal imaging (far infrared) cameras offer a possible solution as they can clearly show heat sources not normally visible to the naked eye. Based on the work of an earlier Transportation Research Synthesis (“Remote Sensing in Maintenance Work”), the focus of this project was to assesses the performance of a professional-grade thermal camera in a variety of simulated encampment environments and at a “live” encampment to determine its ability to reliably reveal the presence of a person inside a tent or similar structure.

This Technical Summary pertains to Report 2009-07, “Advanced Acquisition of Right of Way: Best Practices and Corridor Case Studies,” published January 2009.

This Technical Summary pertains to the LRRB-produced Report 2016-28, “Barriers to Right-of-Way Acquisition and Recommendations for Change,” published August 2016.

The Headwaters Regional Development Commission has been aware of the tenuous nature of much of the rail service in the region for quite some time. There have been rumors of a potential abandonment of the Park Rapids - Wadena rail line as early as the mid-70's. Cutbacks in stations and in service on the Burlington Northern line from Bemidji to International Falls were starting to occur in the early 1980's. Events of the last year led local officials to believe that one or more rail abandonments in the near future was indeed a possibility. From this context, the Headwaters Commission developed a proposal, ultimately funded by MN/DOT, to study the potential re-usea of rail right of way (R.O.W.) subject to abandonment in the Headwaters Region. The idea behind this was that local governments normally are ill-equipped to influence a R.O.W. re-use decision and, therefore, have little impact on the process. Unfortunately, most of the effects of such a decision are felt by local governments through which the rail line passes. The purpose of our study was to help local governments gain access to the R.O.W. re-use decision process. The Commission proposed to do this by providing information concerning the process and concerning various re-use alternatives.

In February 2001, Mn/DOT's Program Delivery Streamlining Task Force issued its final report recommendations. The report identified streamlining initiatives to expedite the project delivery process. Many of the proposals identified could be categorized into one of three focus areas: environment, design, and right of way. Subsequently, three task forces were formed to explore the initiatives and to provide recommendations in these focus areas. This report serves as the final recommendations of all three task forces including comments from the Steering Committee and the Oversight Committee.