5.5. SR 03-24-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Section 1: What does the city road and bridge system look like? Roads and bridges in Minnesota cities are a crucial component of the overall state surface transportation system. These roads and bridges are used for a wide variety of purposes. People who live or work within any of Minnesota's 854 cities use the system for virtually every trip they make. Those who live in rural areas of the state use the system on trips to the city, to go to school, to see the doctor, to shop, to go to a movie or a museum, or to visit family and friends who live in the city. Virtually alt trucks and delivery vehicles use City streets to move goods to market, since the vast majority of final destination points are located within Minnesota cities. These streets are critical in supporting two of Minnesota's key industries, manufacturing and agriculture. Finally, these street systems are also critical for the non-motorized traffic. Pedestrians and bicycles also rely on these systems to move from place to place in Minnesota cities. Minnesota city streets also play an important role in terms of the interconnectedness of the overall system. City streets have become more attractive to commuters and other users of the road system, especially as congestion worsens on the State Trunk Highway and county road systems. As a result, city street systems, including residential streets, are carrying ever-increasing volumes of traffic. City Roadways According to the most recent information from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), Minnesota has over 135,000 miles of roadway in the state. About 14 percent of that total, equal to more than 19,000 miles is owned and operated by Minnesota's 854 cities. Figure 1 shows the various systems of Figure 1 Minnesota Roadways Comparison of System Miles and Traffic Volume (I) Centerline Mileage Percentage of Percentage of Mileage Lane Miles Vehicle Miles System Miles Percent Miles Percent Traveled (VMT) Federal Agency 2,024 1.5% 4,057 1.5% -- Interstates & Trunk Highways 11,932 8.8% 29,024 10.4%, 61% County State Aid Highways 30,385 22.4% 61,718 22.2% 22% County Roads 15,016 11.1% 30,055 10.8% 2% Municipal State Aid Roads - Large Cities 2,818 2.1% 6,350 2.3% 8% City Streets - Large and Small Cities 15,775 11.6% 31,608 11.4% 5% Townships 56,445 41.7% 112,890 40.6% 2% Other 1,095 0.8% 2,194 0.8% -- Total 135,490 100% 277,896 100% 100% (1) It is important to understand that Minnesota cities also are frequently required to share in the costs of improvements and maintenance on Interstate, Trunk Highway, CSAH and County Road systems when they lie within city limits. Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation, from the Transportation Information System current as of May 28, 2002. http://www.dot.state.mn.us/tda/data/fzstmccs.pdf roadways, the miles in each system, and the share of vehicle miles traveled on each system. As the table shows, roadways in Minnesota's cities are jurisdictionally classified by Mn/DOT as either part of the Municipal State Aid (MSA) system, or simply as a "city street". At times, this terminology can result in some confusion, since any roadway in a Minnesota city may also be referred to as a "city street". This report distinguishes roadway mileage in Minnesota cities on the basis of two variables: funding source and city size. All city roadways are funded primarily through locally raised revenues (usually the property tax or special assessments) or state aid funds (Municipal State Aid funds). After the principal funding source is determined, roadway systems are distinguished by the size of the city in which they are located. This is a critical variable 4