Sponsor: Public Works
Title
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Approval of the All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan
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Recommendation
recommendation
Approve the All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan.
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Background and Rationale
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The county board adopted the Ramsey County All-Abilities Transportation Network Policy in 2016, which advanced the county’s vision to create a “Vibrant Community in Which All are Valued and Thrive”. This policy unified county transportation efforts under a shared vision and implementation strategy that prioritizes the transportation system to ensure the most vulnerable users of the transportation network are always considered first during transportation planning and implementation.
In 2023, work began on the All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan, Ramsey County’s first transportation plan. Upon adoption it will guide the development of the county’s annual Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) through project identification and selection to achieve a multimodal transportation system that is safe, connected, equitable, and accessible for all.
To function as a guiding document the plan was created through a combination of technical data gathering, analysis, and public engagement. Technical analysis was conducted in conjunction with four phases of public engagement that reached over 1,500 people through community conversations, pop-ups and open houses, as well as electronically through surveys, social media, virtual events, and email. The first phase of engagement identified how the existing system worked or did not work for the community. The second phase identified where issues and opportunities existed. The third phase identified the types of projects that might be needed, and the fourth phase was a review of draft final transportation plan.
This effort led to the examination of the existing and future condition of the county system, goal and opportunity identification, and financially constrained project priority scenarios. In developing the plan, twenty-three other plans from Ramsey County, Metro Transit, and cities were reviewed for policies, resources, challenges, and opportunities to identify where they could help guide the All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan’s direction, resources, and goals. This work resulted in the identification of the following goals:
• Safe.
• Multimodal.
• Equitable.
• Well-Maintained.
These goals were combined with an analysis of Ramsey County transportation network data on roadway condition, safety, multimodal infrastructure, traffic patterns, and planned projects to established areas of need. An additional step in establishing need was the completion of a social equity analysis. This effort provided for a better understanding of how the transportation network was or was not serving county residents.
Upon completion of the data gathering, five fiscally constrained funding scenarios were completed ranging from the status quo to those that prioritized only safety, equity or multimodal infrastructure. Analysis of these scenarios and how their identification and prioritization of potential projects resulted in the selection of a blended scenario, Realigned Project Priorities, as the best fit for Ramsey County and achieving its All-Abilities Transportation Policy. The Realigned Project Priorities scenario provides extra weight to safety, pedestrian/bike, and equity when creating a total project score. That total project score is then supplemented by a pavement score to reach a final project rating. This allows an emphasis to be placed on furthering safety, pedestrian/bike, and equity goals while acknowledging roadway condition as a factor, but not the sole factor in project selection. Following evaluation of practical and real-world considerations, projects are selected for inclusion in the county’s TIP that is adopted by board action.
The All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan is posted on Ramsey County’s website and can be accessed via the link below:
<https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/roads-transportation/multi-modal-planning/all-abilities-2050-transportation-plan>
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☒ Prosperity ☒ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
The All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan covers the transportation network owned by Ramsey County. Development of the plan included engaging with more than 1,500 residents, city, county, and township officials throughout its development. This engagement guided the selection of the Realigned Priorities rating process for prioritizing projects. The Realigned Priorities rating provides double weighting to safety, pedestrian/bicycle, and equity criteria while also looking at pavement ride quality. The Equity criteria utilized data on population, age, disabilities, poverty, household income, no car households, bridges, traffic, and severe and fatal crashes. This data was then used to create a project scorecard for use in prioritizing projects in combination with weighing practical and real-world considerations.
Transportation provides access to jobs, workforce training opportunities, education, healthcare, recreation, shopping, and other key destinations regionally and nationally. Improving Ramsey County’s transportation system to prioritize people who walk, bike, roll, and ride transit over automobiles and freight will ensure that the needs of all residents are met while improving resident safety and prosperity. As the most diverse county in Minnesota, Ramsey County is pursuing the implementation of transportation investments that provide reliable, low-cost, and high amenity transportation to reduce and eliminate transportation barriers for transit-dependent households, areas of racially concentrated poverty, and areas of low income. Reducing these barriers by elevating pedestrian, bicycle, and transit investments over automobile focused investments will reduce the financial and environmental cost on these groups by improving access to fast, frequent, and reliable transit, improving pedestrian infrastructure, including safer street crossings and providing bicycle focused infrastructure, will provide residents with convenient alternatives to driving, allowing them to choose the best transportation for them.
Community Participation Level and Impact
Community engagement is essential to informed and transparent decision making and has occurred throughout the development of Ramsey County transportation projects. Public Works engages the public as part of a specific project development processes and in the development of long-range plans like the All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan. This plan’s engagement was broken up into four distinct phases, Understanding Existing Experiences, Explore Opportunities, Refine Solutions, and Review the Plan resulting in the engagement of over 1,500 members of the public who’s input guided the selection of the Realigned Project Priorities project prioritization approach to address community concerns about improving multimodal accessibility, safety, pavement quality, and ensuring that all areas of the county benefited from transportation projects.
☒ Inform ☒ Consult ☒ Involve ☒ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The Ramsey County All-Abilities Transportation Plan is aligned with, and implemented through, planned construction projects on Ramsey County roads and trails. The implementation of this plan, expanding access, safety, and mobility within existing corridors, may result in increased project costs. These costs will be incorporated into all future transportation project budgets and will be reflected in the annual TIP.
Last Previous Action
None.
Attachments
None.