5.5. SR 03-24-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Introduction Very few public issues in Minnesota these days are generating the same level of interest as transportation. News accounts regarding highway congestion, roadway safety, economic development, public transportation and other transportation-related issues have significantly increased the visibility of transportation as a critical function at the federal, state, and local levels of government. Indeed, it is difficult to find any other issue that has as broad an impact on more citizens than transportation. Not surprisingly, the increasing interest on the part of users of the transportation system has not gone unnoticed by policy makers. As a result, transportation and transportation funding is a "front burner" issue at the Minnesota State Legislature. Governor Pawlenty and the newly elected state legislature will consider a variety of transportation plans and funding options. Their actions will impact construction and maintenance on the state owned highway system and on the state's vast network of local roadways. State lawmakers are likely to formulate policy options on the basis of information provided by state and local agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), the League of Minnesota Cities, and other affected and interested organizations that assess the construction and maintenance needs on Minnesota's road systems. The purpose of this report is to assemble in one place much of the "need-to-know" information on municipal road and bridge funding in Minnesota's 854 cities. This report builds off of the outstanding work done by Mn/DOT and others in their efforts to inform policy makers and citizens of the state who are interested in gaining a better understanding of the workings of road and bridge infrastructure investment in Minnesota. Our intent in preparing this report is to provide a tool for policy makers, city officials, citizens, the news media and others in order to inform the discussion on these critical matters. The report sponsors hope that this report will serve as a useful reference guide for elected officials and others interested in learning more about the challenges facing Minnesota cities in their ongoing efforts to finance local road and bridge construction and maintenance. Organization of the Report The report contains four principal sections. The first three sections provide answers to the most fundamental questions regarding the challenges municipalities face in funding local roads and bridges. These sections of the report address the following questions: 1. What does the city road and bridge system look like? 2. How is the system funded? 3. Why are existing funding systems insufficient? Sections 1-3: "Transportation Primer" The first three sections can be thought of as a "Minnesota City Road and Bridge Primer". These sections address the most fundamental questions regarding the road and bridge transportation system in Minnesota cities. The first section contains a number of charts and tables that describe the current road and bridge inventory that exists in Minnesota's 854 cities. The second section contains a description of the federal, state, and local funding sources that support road and bridge investments, as well as information on the recent funding trends from each of these sources. The third and final section of the "Primer" documents key demographic and budget trends leading directly to the challenges facing city officials in their efforts to meet the needs on their local road and bridge systems. This section identifies trends describing the ever-increasing demands on Minnesota city roads and