This project aimed to bring to life the vision originally crafted within the Minnesota Walks pedestrian plan, a collaborative effort between the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. A central objective is to assist the state in directing its resources toward pedestrian-focused infrastructure and maintenance projects.
One significant task of this project involved enhancing an existing prioritization tool to pinpoint areas of high need for pedestrian access across the state. The criteria used for this analysis encompassed safety, equity, land use, and infrastructure considerations. Alta then leveraged the insights from this analysis to formulate long-term infrastructure improvement scenarios. These scenarios are illustrated through district-level and statewide maps, and highlighted priority zones for enhancing pedestrian pathways along state roads. Furthermore, the team has developed recommendations for policies and processes to fortify MnDOT’s tools and procedures for prioritizing pedestrian initiatives.
The plan was successfully completed, and Alta is working with MnDOT to further identify and refine high priority pedestrian safety improvements projects to help MnDOT Districts with implementation.