Rethinking I-94 — Minneapolis to St. Paul

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About

Rethinking I-94 study area map from Marion St. in St. Paul to Hwy 55/Hiawatha Ave in MinneapolisView full-size image

Rethinking I-94 is a long-term effort 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. In addition to enhancing mobility, safety, and connectivity, MnDOT is responsible for preserving and repairing bridges, walls, and pavement.

Rethinking I-94 improvements will support the broader community goals established for the project. Those goals include:

  • Incorporating MnDOT's livability framework and identifying opportunities for establishing a sense of place, community connections, economic opportunities, equity, safety, and a healthy environment for the communities that live, work, and play there.
  • Developing and executing a community-based approach focused on reconnecting neighborhoods, revitalizing communities, and ensuring residents have a meaningful voice in transportation decisions that affect their lives.

We recognize the actions 60 years ago devastated communities, and those impacts are still felt today. 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).

Where we are now

In 2023, MnDOT released ten alternatives to the public for improving I-94. Project team members attended community events, gave presentations, and worked with community partners to share the alternatives and gather feedback. This feedback was used to determine if additional alternatives needed to be developed and to identify opportunities for refining the already developed alternatives.

MnDOT is now evaluating the alternatives based on the evaluation criteria shared with the public and will recommend eliminating alternatives that fail to meet the criteria The results of the evaluation process will be shared in fall of 2024 or early winter of 2025. The following funnel graphic shows the criteria each alternative needs to meet to move forward.


MnDOT will then prepare a Scoping Document/Draft Scoping Decision Document that outlines the process completed to date. This document will be released to the public for comment and a public meeting will be held on the document. A formal public comment period is expected to be announced later in 2025. The Scoping Document/Draft Scoping Decision Document will make a recommendation for alternatives that should be further studied in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Following the public comment period and public meeting, MnDOT will review comments and make revisions as needed. A final Scoping Document/Scoping Decision Document will then be prepared. Once the document is finalized, the scoping portion of the environmental documentation is complete. The project will then proceed to the Tier 1 EIS phase of the project. Learn more about the complete project schedule.

Public engagement summary

MnDOT shared a summary of the public engagement efforts to promote the alternatives and online survey. Engagement supporting the release of the alternatives took place from June to November 2023. The summary includes a high-level overview of the following engagement activities:

  • Online public survey that received over 3,500 responses;
  • Outreach events and meetings MnDOT attended, hosted, and presented at;
  • Participation in community and neighborhood events and the feedback we received from numerous community members, neighborhood and community organizations, and special interest groups.

The Rethinking I-94 online survey was open from July - October 2023. The survey was designed for community members and stakeholders to provide open-ended feedback on the 10 alternatives MnDOT presented in July 2023. This summary presents the survey results broken down by demographics for further insights.

Youth Leadership Program

MnDOT’s Rethinking I-94 team is launching a Youth Leadership Program designed for sophomores and juniors who live or attend school near the I-94 corridor (between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul). This hands-on, eight-week program provides a real-world learning experience in transportation planning, environmental review, design and engineering, highway construction and maintenance, and community engagement. This program is open to all students, whether they intend to go into the skilled trades, to college, or are simply interested in these topics, we encourage any interested youth to apply.

Learn more and access application materials on the Youth Leadership Program page.

Get involved

Interested in getting involved or providing feedback?

About

Rethinking I-94 study area map from Marion St. in St. Paul to Hwy 55/Hiawatha Ave in MinneapolisView full-size image

Rethinking I-94 is a long-term effort 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. In addition to enhancing mobility, safety, and connectivity, MnDOT is responsible for preserving and repairing bridges, walls, and pavement.

Rethinking I-94 improvements will support the broader community goals established for the project. Those goals include:

  • Incorporating MnDOT's livability framework and identifying opportunities for establishing a sense of place, community connections, economic opportunities, equity, safety, and a healthy environment for the communities that live, work, and play there.
  • Developing and executing a community-based approach focused on reconnecting neighborhoods, revitalizing communities, and ensuring residents have a meaningful voice in transportation decisions that affect their lives.

We recognize the actions 60 years ago devastated communities, and those impacts are still felt today. 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).

Where we are now

In 2023, MnDOT released ten alternatives to the public for improving I-94. Project team members attended community events, gave presentations, and worked with community partners to share the alternatives and gather feedback. This feedback was used to determine if additional alternatives needed to be developed and to identify opportunities for refining the already developed alternatives.

MnDOT is now evaluating the alternatives based on the evaluation criteria shared with the public and will recommend eliminating alternatives that fail to meet the criteria The results of the evaluation process will be shared in fall of 2024 or early winter of 2025. The following funnel graphic shows the criteria each alternative needs to meet to move forward.


MnDOT will then prepare a Scoping Document/Draft Scoping Decision Document that outlines the process completed to date. This document will be released to the public for comment and a public meeting will be held on the document. A formal public comment period is expected to be announced later in 2025. The Scoping Document/Draft Scoping Decision Document will make a recommendation for alternatives that should be further studied in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Following the public comment period and public meeting, MnDOT will review comments and make revisions as needed. A final Scoping Document/Scoping Decision Document will then be prepared. Once the document is finalized, the scoping portion of the environmental documentation is complete. The project will then proceed to the Tier 1 EIS phase of the project. Learn more about the complete project schedule.

Public engagement summary

MnDOT shared a summary of the public engagement efforts to promote the alternatives and online survey. Engagement supporting the release of the alternatives took place from June to November 2023. The summary includes a high-level overview of the following engagement activities:

  • Online public survey that received over 3,500 responses;
  • Outreach events and meetings MnDOT attended, hosted, and presented at;
  • Participation in community and neighborhood events and the feedback we received from numerous community members, neighborhood and community organizations, and special interest groups.

The Rethinking I-94 online survey was open from July - October 2023. The survey was designed for community members and stakeholders to provide open-ended feedback on the 10 alternatives MnDOT presented in July 2023. This summary presents the survey results broken down by demographics for further insights.

Youth Leadership Program

MnDOT’s Rethinking I-94 team is launching a Youth Leadership Program designed for sophomores and juniors who live or attend school near the I-94 corridor (between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul). This hands-on, eight-week program provides a real-world learning experience in transportation planning, environmental review, design and engineering, highway construction and maintenance, and community engagement. This program is open to all students, whether they intend to go into the skilled trades, to college, or are simply interested in these topics, we encourage any interested youth to apply.

Learn more and access application materials on the Youth Leadership Program page.

Get involved

Interested in getting involved or providing feedback?

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Page last updated: 05 Dec 2024, 01:02 PM