Environment

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.

The primary purpose of this report is to place an economic dollar value on the environmental impacts of shifting products from the waterway mode to a land mode. Since the original study, entitled "Environmental Impact of a Modal Shift", was completed in 1991, two of the three modal shift examples discussed have taken place. This study also looks at what caused the modal shifts to take place and discusses their merits. The study compares the fuel cost efficiency of the water mode to land modes and the air emission results of burning additional fuel to move the same product tonnage. This study does not discuss freight rate variations between the modes as the focus is on environmental impact cost. Where comparable, waterborne transportation has an environmental cost impact of one fifth that of rail and one tenth that of truck. The study also discusses accident rates on a per ton mile basis, but no dollar figures are available for comparison purposes at this time.

The appendices for Phase III Data Recovery of Site 21BL37, The Midway Site, Beltrami County, Minnesota.

This report presents the results of the Phase III mitigation of site 21BL37. This multicomponent historic property is located along portions of Trunk Highway (TH) 197 in the City of Bemidji, which is located in Beltrami County, in north-central Minnesota (S.P. 0416-19). The City of Bemidji and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) have proposed the reconstruction of portions of TH 197 and Midway Drive into a system of one-way paired roadways from Roosevelt Road to Third Street NW. As a result of this road reconstruction, historic property 21-BL-37 will be adversely impacted. In order to mitigate the adverse impacts to this site, data recovery was proposed. The Minnesota Department of Transportation contracted with the Leech Lake Heritage Sites Program to complete this data recovery project.

Based upon the information in the record, which comprises the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the proposed project, related studies referenced in the EAW, written comments received, and other supporting documents included in this Findings of Fact and Conclusions document, MnDOT makes the following Findings of Fact and Conclusions

The project is to ensure that emerging issues previously identified in the strategic management process are researched in an academically sound way, so that the findings of that research may be analyzed. In the process of analysis, desired ways to influence the development of the issued will be identified and trigger points and action steps will be differentiated, as part of management's contingency planning process. It is expected that senior management will implement the action steps and use the trigger points in monitoring the development of the issues. Mn/DOT will also establish information exchange mechanism with parties external to Mn/DOT, as appropriate, to disseminate what is learned. As a staff paper, this publication is intended for internal use by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). Distribution is limited.

The focus of this scoping study is to gather environmental and engineering information on northeastern Minnesota taconite tailings. The study identifies relevant issues involved with using this material in road construction. The results of this study will provide the Local Road Research Board (LRRB) with a summary of the information to determine whether or not to fund more detailed environmental and engineering research in this area. As a staff paper, this publication is intended for internal use by the Minnesota Department of Transportat!ioo (Mn/DOT). Distribution is limited.

Transportation and its supporting infrastructure have significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. Using more sustainable methods to design, construct, and preserve roads will better protect the environment and meet our ongoing needs. Mn/DOT and our partners in government, industry, and academia have been researching and implementing ways to make our roads greener, while maintaining or improving roadway quality.

Transportation and its supporting infrastructure have significant economic, social, and environmental impacts. Using more sustainable methods to design, construct, and preserve roads will better protect the environment and meet our ongoing needs. Mn/DOT and our partners in government, industry, and academia have been researching and implementing ways to make our roads greener, while maintaining or improving roadway quality. MnROAD is conducting research on several “green” pavement technologies that reduce environmental impacts, reuse roadway materials, or use recycled materials in pavement applications:

Minnesota has declared ambitious climate goals aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next thirty years, which it plans to accomplish partly through considerable reductions in the average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per person. This will require close collaboration between local governments and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). This report presents the findings of a brief field scan conducted in early 2023 to understand relevant initiatives, opportunities, and challenges experienced by local communities throughout Minnesota. It involved a review of local plans and documents, a survey distributed among local agencies across the state, and targeted follow-up interviews. Results indicate that while many local organizations have expressed an interest in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, few focus explicitly on transportation emissions and even fewer of those see VMT reduction as a major strategy for meeting those goals. Nonetheless, there are organizations that are interested in the types of policies and investments that could reduce overall driving and help meet ambitious climate goals, often because they support local economic goals. This presents opportunities to realign VMT-reduction strategies with local needs and for MnDOT to provide local support in the form of funding, technical assistance, data resources, and additional guidance.