Background

Rethinking I-94 is a long-term process to engage communities that live, work, commute, and play along the corridor to promote effective movement of people and goods and a high quality of life for neighboring communities. MnDOT’s goal is to listen to a wide variety of voices as it considers the future of the corridor. This is the first comprehensive review of I-94 since its construction in the 1960s and is jointly conducted by MnDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Rethinking I-94 looks to address identified transportation needs and to enhance connectivity. In doing so, Rethinking I-94 works to ensure residents have a meaningful voice in transportation decisions that affect their lives.

What is connectivity?

Connectivity is a component of mobility. Connectivity describes how the number and quality of connections in a transportation network allow people to travel from place to place. In the context of Rethinking I-94, connectivity describes the number of opportunities to access I-94 via interchange ramps, as well as travel over/under I-94 via crossings.

The I-94 corridor

Communities along the Rethinking I-94 project corridor play a critical role in the institutional and cultural fabric of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. These diverse and vibrant neighborhoods are home to 35,000 residents, 1,300 businesses, and 24,000 employees, and dozens of ethnicities and languages. The corridor also is home to The University of Minnesota, six other colleges, numerous primary and secondary schools, hospitals, entertainment venues, and sports stadiums.

The I-94 corridor is one of Minnesota’s most frequently traveled corridors and supports a variety of multimodal transportation needs.

I-94 plays a critical role in the movement of freight and goods for the Twin Cities metropolitan area with 7.5 miles of road infrastructure and 4,650 – 6,500 heavy commercial trucks per day.
I-94 supports 130 express bus stops and 38 limited-stop bus per day as well as between 114,000 and 167,000 vehicles per day.
I-94 is used by many emergency response organizations such as law enforcement agencies, emergency medical response teams and hospitals.
The sidewalks, pedestrian bridges, and roadway along and across I-94 support multimodal transportation
While the corridor currently supports multimodal transportation, Rethinking I-94 will be addressing opportunities to make improvements

Phase 1 (2016-2018)

A two-year technical research study and supporting engagement activities performed to establish the foundation for future planning and project work.

Public engagement toolkit

The Rethinking I-94 public engagement toolkit (PDF) is an adaptable process that guides MnDOT's project team public engagement.

Zone profiles

MnDOT divided the corridor into six zones based on anticipated future design and construction projects. These Rethinking I-94 Zone Profiles (PDF) include information about demographics, survey responses, community organizations, events, local media and elected officials.

Community culture and history overviews

Rethinking I-94 community culture and overviews (PDF) provide historical and cultural background about stakeholders along the I-94 corridor, as well as provides information about broader cultural characteristics and their history of engagement with transportation and planning issues in the Twin Cities.

Rethinking I-94 Phase 1 reports

Rethinking I-94 Phase 1 report (PDF) details two years of technical research and engagement activity on the corridor that established the foundation for future planning and project work.

Executive summary (PDF): Documents Phase 1 activities, results, and outlines next steps.
Community summary (PDF): Outlines current highway conditions, learnings from the community, and next steps.

Phase 2

The environmental process for Rethinking I-94 Phase 2 involves three main steps. At each step, the public will have chances to provide feedback and comments. Initially, overarching questions need to be addressed to understand what is achievable and to ensure that all concerns are considered before moving on to more specific design details.

Step one: Scoping (Rethinking I-94 is currently in this step.)

This process identifies the basic alternatives that will move forward into the next stage of environmental review. We anticipate being in Scoping for the next year. Little detail on alternatives will be developed at this step. For example, the alternatives will have different roadway types, number and type of lanes, and transit service types, but limited details on potential changes to frontage roads, interchanges, or pedestrian and bicycle crossings. The Scoping Document also proposes evaluation criteria for alternatives in the Tier 1 EIS and outlines the level of detail to which each potential social, economic, and environmental issue will be addressed.

Learn more about the Rethinking I-94 alternatives.

Step two: Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

This step will choose a preferred alternative and determine the footprint, including roadway type (freeway or non-freeway), the number and type of travel lanes, and type of transit and associated stops. This step will also identify potential improvements to interchanges/intersections (multiple concepts will be developed) in the project area and general locations for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. A corridor visualization will be completed to help identify unique elements of the surrounding communities that could be incorporated into future projects, such as landscaping, bridge treatments and more. The Tier 1 EIS follows Scoping and is anticipated to take three to four years to complete.

Step three: Tier 2 environmental documents

The final step in the process is for individual projects that are to be constructed. Greater detail will be provided about interchanges, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit stops, landscaping, lighting, noise walls, parking, and other roadway elements. Each project included in the program of projects will require a deeper level of design and the preparation of an individual environmental document. The Tier 2 environmental documents will focus on addressing specific project impacts at individual project locations within the corridor. At this stage, all design details necessary to prepare the projects for construction will be addressed. As designs become more detailed, potential opportunities for improved streetscaping (trees/vegetation, lighting, etc.), public art, and other uses of right of way will be better understood.

Project documents

The documents below were created to help project staff, partners, and the public learn more about the environmental process.

Educational videos

I-94 Documentary

A two-part documentary about I-94 aired on a local Twin Cities television station in April 2017.

Part One - Interstate 94: A History and Its Impact

This video focuses on the construction of I-94 in the middle of the 20th Century and the affect it had on the communities it bisected.

Part Two - Interstate 94: Today and Tomorrow

This video focuses on the here and now as it relates to I-94 through the Twin Cities, as well as continuing work to engage with communities along the interstate to develop a comprehensive, community-based vision for the corridor.

Rethinking I-94 video tour

Gloria Jeff, MnDOT Livability Director, presented a video tour of the project for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Peer Exchange on Public Engagement in October 2020.

Livability Framework

Gloria Jeff presents an introduction to the Livability Framework.

Existing I-94 Traffic Conditions

This video is a presentation from Jaimie Sloboden (Michael Baker International) which analyzes existing traffic conditions and data for the Rethinking I-94 study region. Jaimie presented this information at the November 8, 2024, Rethinking I-94 Policy Advisory Committee meeting.

Air Quality Considerations for Rethinking I-94

This video is a presentation from Natalie Ries (MnDOT), which shares information on how air quality is being analyzed in the Rethinking I-94 process. Natalie presented this information at the November 8, 2024, Rethinking I-94 Policy Advisory Committee meeting.