Center for Transportation Studies

This report is the result of a project initiated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), in which the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) was asked to involve key stakeholders in investigating options and making recommendations for the future governance of the MnROAD test facility. A task force appointed by Mn/DOT and CTS worked with CTS and consulting staff to develop the recommendations contained in this report. This report summarizes the information considered by the Task Force in arriving at recommendations in response to its charge from Mn/DOT Deputy Commissioner Douglas Differt. The findings and opinions expressed are those of the Task Force and

In October 2022, five self-driving shuttle vans rolled onto the streets of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, as part of a first-of-its-kind demonstration. The 18-month Minnesota Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative (goMARTI) pilot offered free, on-demand rides to Grand Rapids residents and visitors. Rides were provided by a fleet of Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vans—three of which were wheelchair-accessible with an ADA-compliant ramp. The service covered nearly 17 square miles and included about 75 pickup and drop-off points. A human operator was on board each autonomous vehicle to verify safety and aid passengers.

Citizens, leaders, and other transportation stakeholders in Itasca County, Minnesota (which includes the city of Grand Rapids), have long recognized the need for more accessible, affordable transportation. The United Way identified significant transportation and mobility challenges to accessing health and human services for county residents who are older, experiencing poverty, or both. Yet like many rural areas, the county’s large geographic size and relatively small population have made it difficult to provide conventional alternative transportation.

The growing prevalence of mobility hubs has made design guidelines and case studies more widely available, yet most existing mobility hub projects are designed for larger urban or suburban environments. In late 2022, the rural Minnesota city of Grand Rapids began an 18-month AV pilot project called goMARTI. With goMARTI’s launch, a need for mobility hubs designed for this rural city setting emerged—one that researchers at the U of M’s Minnesota Design Center set out to meet in a year-long research project funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation as part of the goMARTI pilot.

This report contains a summary of the themes, codes, and sub-codes that emerged from the focus group discussions conducted for the Minnesota Local Road Research Board. Four focus groups were conducted between November 15 - 30, 2023 with the featured stakeholder groups: CDL license holders (4 participants), Jobseekers (8 participants), HR professionals (3 participants), and High school students (5 participants). Participants were identified, selected, and recruited via professional networks and affiliations of CTS and their partners. Discussion guides were created for each group that addressed a particular set of topics: 1) The Current Workforce, 2) Recruitment, 3) Retention, 4) Marketing & Awareness, and 5) Collaboration. Each topic is treated as a theme that is accompanied with codes which categorize participants’ responses. For context, included in the appendices section of this report are the original questions and the full set of codes with quotes extracted verbatim from the transcripts.

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.

This guidebook was developed to help Minnesota transportation agencies evaluate their uncontrolled pedestrian crossings and determine appropriate treatment options. The guidebook recommends when to install marked crosswalks and other enhancements at uncontrolled locations based on a number of factors, including the average daily vehicle count, number of pedestrians, number of lanes, and average vehicle speed. It helps agencies rate a crossing for pedestrian service, and it includes a flow chart and several worksheets to assist in data collection and decision making. When using the guidebook, practitioners are guided through an 11-step evaluation process. Based on the results of the evaluation, users can identify what level of treatment is appropriate for their location, ranging from in-street crossing signs to overhead flashing beacons to traffic calming devices such as curb bump-outs. For each potential treatment option, the guidebook includes information on advantages, disadvantages, recommended locations, and cost. The development of the guidebook was funded by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board.

This field manual provides guidelines for preventive asphalt pavement maintenance techniques for a variety of distresses and conditions. It covers: 1. crack treatments (clean and seal, rout and seal, full-depth crack repair); 2. surface treatments (fog seal, seal coat, thin hot-mix overlays); and 3. pothole patching and repair (cold-mix asphalt, spray injection patching, hot-mix asphalt, slurry or microsurfacing material).