5.5. SR 03-24-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The statewide traffic chart on the previous page illustrates the growth in total Vehicle Miles Traveled on all route systems. This data obviously has a direct bearing on the overall demands on all roadway infrastructure in the state. It is also important, however, to present the increasing traffic loads for each of the major systems. This information is illustrated in Figure 14. The chart shows that steady increases have occurred since 1995 in average daily traffic on the state trunk highway and interstate systems, the County State Aid Highway system, and the Municipal State Aid systems. While its total ADT is less than the other systems, it is notable that the rate of growth in ADT on the MSA system exceeded the other two systems since 1995. One reason Figure 14 Percent Increase: Avg. Daily Traffic by Route System 1995 to 2001 , 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 2O.O% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% Interstate & Trunk CSAH Highways MSA Source: 1995 ADT data reported in "1997 Municipal State Aid Life Cycle Analysis" by the 1997 State Aid Allocation Subcommittee. 2001 ADT data provided by Mn/DOT Office of Transportation Data and Analysis. for this is that as congestion limits the flow of traffic on the trunk highway systems and the other arterials on the county road system, many motorists are opting to take local roads, which increases the burden on these roads beyond their intended levels. 2. Growth in city population and new housing is steadily increasing, placing greater demands on city and residential street systems. Many new homes have been constructed in Minnesota's cities over the last ten years where limited roadway infrastructure previously existed. Figure 15 shows the increases over the last decade in population and households in Minnesota cities. As the chart indicates, the population in Minnesota cities has increased from 3.44 million in 1990 to 4.0 million in 2001. At the same time, the household count of all Figure 15 Comparing Minnesota City Population and Households (1990 - 2001) ., 5,000 i ~ 1990 12001 I-- 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 City Population Source: Property Tax Study Project r City Households Minnesota cities has increased from 1.33 million in 1990 and 1.57 million in 2001. Overall, the number of residential homesteads - much of which requires newly constructed street and other public infrastructure - has increased by 9.2% since 1990. The "densification" of Minnesota's cities, in both the metropolitan areas and in Greater Minnesota, has led to greater amounts of traffic and higher levels of congestion. 17