Zeerak, Raihana

The understanding of freight movement is critical to economic development and competitiveness and to make decisions regarding the transportation system. Despite the increased interest in freight planning and modeling, freight data are limited in availability and granularity, and the existing sources are incomplete or outdated. This research analyzes various types of public and proprietary freight databases to determine which are most helpful for planning, programming, and designing future infrastructure on the truck, rail, air, and waterway networks within Minnesota and surrounding states. There are some comprehensive multimodal freight databases that provide different levels of data granularity. These are typically complemented with other data sources that are specific to a transportation mode. We also interview stakeholders involved in freight planning in Minnesota to identify data gaps and capture current and future data needs. Important needs include (i) mode specific freight data, especially for waterways and ports and air freight; (ii) equity considerations in freight transportation; and (iii) understanding the relationship between freight transportation and climate change. Additional freight data are much needed overall to inform economic development and funding prioritization, as well as to evaluate and minimize supply chain disruptions.

Complete Streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient, and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. While there have been multiple studies on Complete Streets in metropolitan areas, little is known about these projects impacts in small cities. In this research, we assess the economic impacts of Complete Streets projects on small-city businesses through case studies and by comparing economic measures from a group of cities with Complete Streets projects to comparable control groups without these streets. Our findings show that few respondents perceive a direct impact for their business, but many feel that the reconstructions have been (would be) beneficial for the city. Mechanisms through which Complete Streets might impact businesses and the local economy include altering of business practices, changing of city practices, or acting as a catalyst for additional investment. In addition, our results suggest that Complete Streets projects may improve the economic activity of small cities to some extent, particularly when considering revenues from property taxes. The research team also develops a consistent set of economic metrics that MnDOT and local transportation agencies can use to evaluate and communicate the effect of context-sensitive main street highways.

The roadway system is critical to social development, economic growth, and the overall quality of life. In the U.S., the condition of highways and roads is being compromised due to several reasons including age deterioration, rising costs of construction, and a decline in funding. Similarly, in Minnesota, the majority of pavements are aging and in need of significant maintenance or reconstruction, but there is an expected deficit of $17.7 billion for state roads over the next 20 years. At the local level, pavement conditions along state-aid roads and county, city, and township roads are anticipated to deteriorate significantly based on current funding levels. In addition, significant budgetary impacts on maintenance spending are expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given these budget limitations, agencies often postpone planned maintenance to make funding available for other transportation purposes, but the deferred maintenance will negatively affect asset life, leading to higher future maintenance costs and lower roadway safety. This research analyzes spatial patterns of maintenance expenditures across localities in Minnesota, explores how fiscal conditions affect maintenance expenditures, and examines roadway maintenance decision-making across localities.

Highway construction; maintenance; and improvements are supported by federal; state; and local funding. States use a combination of state funding and federal dollars to invest in highways and to provide aid to local governments. In recent years; federal and state governments have had challenges keeping up with transportation needs. These challenges affect funding for roadways; including the share of funding going to local governments. However; there is limited research on the impact of changes in federal and state funding on local spending; particularly the share of local government spending on state and regional highway infrastructure. This research aims to fill that gap by assessing the contributions of local expenditures to state and regional transportation facilities in Minnesota. Our findings show that while cooperative agreements can be mutually beneficial for both local and state governments; they can also carry the risk of unexpected costs for local governments. Therefore; local governments should be aware of the risks of entering into cooperative agreements; particularly when state funding totals are capped. Effective communication during planning and construction can mitigate some of the risk of cost increases as well as uncertainties around cost coverage by MnDOT. The use of state contingency funds to reimburse local governments for unexpected trunk highway expenses could also provide additional financial security for local governments.