Fond du Lac Long Range Transportation Plan
Introduction In October of 2003, the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC)received a Request For Proposals (RFP) from the Fond du Lac Reservation Planning Division. The RFP asked for proposals to complete a long-range transportation plan for the reservation. ARDC submits the following proposal in response to the Fond du Lac RFP.
ARDC is a regional planning agency that has a team of experienced staff working to guide the future of transportation in Northeast Minnesota. In addition to completing plans for the two other reservations, ARDC works closely with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Northeast Minnesota Area Transportation Partnership to plan and program project in the Arrowhead Region. In addition, ARDC staff have established contacts with nearly every transportation and trail related entity in the area, including Carlton and St. Louis Counties, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Arrowhead Transit, the City of Cloquet, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Work Plan
To create a 20 year transportation plan for the Fond du Lac Reservation, ARDC will inventory existing conditions, identify community transportation goals, review planning and objectives with surrounding jurisdictions, and develop plan recommendations. This information will be used to develop a final plan document. A main goal of the planning process will be to provide a base for the Fond du Lac Reservation that will allow you to regularly update the plan as projects are completed and conditions change.
To inventory existing conditions, ARDC will work with Fond du Lac and the BIA to map the Reservation area roads. Data associated with those roads will be documented, including road type, Indian Reservation Roads status, road condition, road purpose, and surrounding land use. This information will be built into a Geographic Information System that the Reservation staff can use in the future. ARDC will also document existing sidewalks, trails, and transit service.
When identifying community goals, ARDC will work with Reservation staff to determine what the transportation needs of the Reservation will be in the future. Land use patterns, recreational needs, commercial needs, and social needs will all be considered. These needs will be combined with a review of planning and objectives with surrounding jurisdictions to develop a big picture of the future of the Reservation transportation system. For that step, staff will examine plans from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Carlton County, the City of Cloquet, Arrowhead Transit, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (trails), and our own regional plans in order to determine what other jurisdictions will be doing in and near the Reservation. A public meeting could be held to assist these portions of the planning process if the Reservation desires. ARDC will then work with Fond du Lac staff to develop plan recommendations. The recommendations will address a 20 -year approach to investments in roads, transit, bicycles, and pedestrians. In more detail, the recommendations could include:
Roads
- Changes to the IRR system designations
- Reservation road improvements (pavement/surface conditions, road width, drainage, expansion, bridge replacement)
- Improvement to other jurisdiction roads that are not currently planned
Transit
- Expanded service
- Stop designations
Bicycles
- Trail/on road connections to Reservation facilities
- Trail/on road connection to City of Cloquet
- Trail/on road connection to the Munger Trail
- On road route designations
Pedestrians
- Sidewalk improvement in housing areas
- Sidewalk improvement near reservation facilities
- Needed road crossing safety projects
ARDC will work with Reservation staff to assign each project a priority (high, medium, low) and an estimated construction cost. The entire list of recommendations will be compared to current funding levels in order to assign projects a planned year for completion. Projects that have a high priority but are too expensive to complete will also be listed, along with possible alternative funding sources, which could include the Northeast Minnesota Area Transportation Partnership, the Federal High Priority Project Program, and others. The entire list of projects, project years, and funding sources will address 20 years of transportation investments. The list will be in a tabular format that will allow Reservation staff to update it regularly as projects are completed or as priorities change. The first three to five years of this list will be designated as the Reservation's official Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
The plan document will also list recommendations that the Reservation has for other jurisdictions' roads, transportation policy changes, general strategies for modal improvement, and future planning. The document will have a detail introduction and background, the transportation inventory, the jurisdictional review, transportation system maps, the entire list of recommendations, and the 20-year plan. The TIP will be a smaller, separate document.
Public Participation
ARDC will offer citizens an opportunity to provide input by holding a comment period (or public meeting) when identifying community goals. A web site will be available that will provide a plan background and opportunity to comment. Another comment period or public meeting could be held when the plan is in a draft stage just prior to finalization.
ARDC will present information to the Reservation Business Committee whenever requested. It may important to meet with them when identifying community goals and at the draft plan stage.
Timeline
The planning process is designed to be completed by June 30, 2004. |
|
