Engineering process | Planning | Metro District Interchange Planning Review
Metro District Interchange Planning Review legal authority
Before acquiring land for or constructing a controlled access highway in the area, the state Transportation Department or local government unit proposing the acquisition or construction shall submit to the council a statement describing the proposed project. The statement must be in the form and detail required by the council. The council shall review the statement to ascertain its consistency with its policy plan and the development guide. No project may be undertaken unless the council determines that it is consistent with the policy plan.
This approval process is based on work originally done in 1979 by a joint committee of the Transportation Advisory Board and the Metropolitan Council. It has been revised and simplified over time to reflect policy changes, revised state and federal laws and regulations, and experience with applying the criteria. The rational for requiring this approval comes from strategy 10 within the Access to Destinations Goal:
“Regional transportation partners will manage access to principal and A-minor arterials to preserve and enhance their safety and capacity”