Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Goal of this Study?

Why Plan for this Area?

Who is Doing this Study?

What are the Next Steps?

Isn't Mn/DOT already looking at building a new Mississippi River Crossing?

What is the Goal of this Study?

The goal of this study is to address transportation improvement issues related to rapid growth in the Twin Cities' northwest metro area. This study will look at long-term options to address traffic problems on the area's highways, with special attention to crossings of the Mississippi River.

The study will examine the need for more highway capacity across the river and will address the impacts of various alternatives, such as: (1) do nothing; (2) improve existing roadways; (3) add a new highway and river crossing; or (4) a combination of actions.

Why Plan for this Area?

Planning is needed now to deal with population growth and increasing traffic.

Population Growth
The Twin Cities metro area grew by over 350,000 people from 1990 to 2000. This rate of growth is higher than any other decade in the area's history. Much of this growth is occurring in the four counties included within the study area (Anoka, Hennepin, Sherburne, and Wright). Rapid growth is also expected to continue well into the future. The population of the four counties in the northwest metro area is projected to grow by about 200,000 by the year 2020.

Increasing Traffic
Growth in the northwest metro region has greatly increased traffic along I-94 and along Highways 101, 169, and 10. This increasing traffic is causing congestion and delays to worsen-especially at crossings of the Mississippi River during rush hour. By 2020, the number of vehicles crossing the Mississippi River on the Highways 101, 169, and 610 bridges will more than double, from about 140,000 to over 300,000 (even after accounting for planned transit improvements, such as the Northstar commuter rail project).

Who is Doing this Study?

This study is being led by a team from Anoka County, Hennepin County, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). Local communities and agencies are also represented on two committees-the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

The PAC consists of city and county elected officials representing the study area. The TAC is made up of engineering, planning, and environmental staff from the involved counties, cities, or townships, as well as representatives from state and federal transportation, environmental, and regulatory agencies.

What are the Next Steps?

The public comment period for this study will end on October 29, 2003. Following the comment period, a Final Scoping Decision Document will be prepared which typically serves as the basis for determining which alternative(s) will be retained for detailed analysis in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). However, at this time, there is no immediate schedule to proceed with an EIS, and the timeframe for construction of a potential new highway is at least 10 to 15 years in the future. The purpose of an EIS is to evaluate the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with alternatives.

Isn't Mn/DOT already looking at building a new Mississippi River Crossing?

In 1996, Mn/DOT initiated an environmental study of a possible new river crossing, the I-94/Trunk Highway (TH) 10 Regional Connection, for the area west of TH 101-TH 169, between St. Cloud and Becker. The Regional Connection was proposed to address growth in areas west-northwest of Elk River and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, with particular emphasis on addressing congestion at the existing Mississippi River crossings at TH 24 (Clearwater) and TH 25 (Monticello). The proposed concept for the Northwest Metro Corridor will specifically focus on the current and anticipated growth and expansion of the northwestern metro counties.

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