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Center for
Transportation Studies
University of Minnesota
200 Transportation & Safety Building
511 Washington Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-626-1077
Fax: 612-625-6381
E-mail: cts@umn.edu

Location & Contact Information

Workshop on Accelerating Transitway Development in the Twin Cities Metro Region

Friday, January 23, 2009
McNamara Alumni Center
University of Minnesota

Local government stakeholders came together at a January 23 workshop in Minneapolis to explore ways to accelerate transitway development in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. The workshop, focusing on finance and funding options, was sponsored by the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), the Metropolitan Council, and the University Metropolitan Consortium (UMC). CTS hosted and coordinated the workshop in support of the sponsors.

CTIB resulted from 2008 legislation allowing metro-area counties to impose a quarterpercent sales tax and a $20 motor vehicle sales excise fee. Since its creation, the board has been working with the Metropolitan Council to develop a regional transit system; one priority is to accelerate the development of new and enhanced transitways.

Peter McLaughlin, CTIB chair and a Hennepin County commissioner, gave the opening remarks and moderated the morning sessions. He credited counties for forging consensus on the need for transit investment. With the sales tax in place and a federal stimulus package on the way, the question “is whether we can create a new consensus to move these projects ahead better and faster,” he said. “It’s a moment to be bold.”

McLaughlin then welcomed Peter Bell, chair of the Metropolitan Council, who outlined the region’s financial challenges. Longer term, Bell said, Minnesota either will need to improve the performance of the MVST (motor vehicle sales tax) or will need a different funding strategy for transit. Referring to the stimulus package, Bell cautioned against “building out the system without looking at a way to fund operations.”

John Adams, co-chair of UMC, described the work of the consortium, which was established in 2006 to strengthen the University’s overall contribution to understanding metropolitanurban- suburban issues. “This event fits our mission,” he said.

Following Adams was a taped video message from U.S. Congressman James Oberstar. He vowed to restructure the transit program in this year’s authorization of the federal surface transportation bill. “We’re going to develop quality-of-life factors for evaluation of transit projects, and we’re going to dramatically increase investment in transit,” he said.

The workshop then turned to presentations of transitway scenarios for the Twin Cities region by Phil Eckhert of Hennepin County, Matt Smith of Dakota County, and Amy Vennewitz of the Metropolitan Council. Richard Steinmann, senior advisor to the administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, discussed federal funding of transitways.

Next, representatives from the Denver and Salt Lake City metropolitan areas shared successes and lessons learned from developing their transit networks. Scott Reed, assistant general manager of public affairs with the Denver Regional Transportation District, described the Denver area’s FasTracks plan, which calls for building 122 miles of new light rail and commuter rail and 18 miles of bus rapid transit by 2016. A key to the plan’s success is a detailed implementation schedule— specifying when individual lines will be built—supported by a financial plan, thus promoting a “sense of ownership” in the whole system, he said. Reed also suggested embracing economic growth as an argument for acceleration: Estimates are that FasTracks will create more than 10,000 jobs during peak construction and pump $2.9 million into the Denver economy.

Mike Allegra, chief capital development officer for the Utah Transit Authority, said his organization is planning to add “70 miles in 7 years” of light or commuter rail, all before 2015. In a little over a decade (since the 2002 Olympics), UTA will have gone from 0 to 150 miles of rail and from 550 to 1000 buses, he said.

The afternoon consisted of a spirited conversion circle moderated by CTS director Robert Johns. Several state legislators attended: Reps. Alice Hausman, Frank Hornstein, and Melissa Hortman, and Sen. Scott Dibble (Dibble is a member of the CTS Executive Committee).

To learn about the University’s Transitway Impacts Research Program, please see www.cts.umn.edu/Research/Featured/Transitways.

Workshop Video

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View workshop video

Workshop Presentations

Transitway Scenarios for the Twin Cities Region

Federal Funding of Transitways

Two Regions that are Speeding Things Up

Lunch and Speaker