MnDOT District 6 partnerships
Southeast Minnesota Regional Information
MnDOT created Area Transportation Partnerships more than two decades ago in response to changes in federal law that increased state flexibility and the need for public involvement in transportation planning and program decision-making. ATPs were established by each district specifically to facilitate broader input to the federal project selection process for the development of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), the four-year program of state and local projects with federal highway and transit funding, projects with state funding.
The Southeast Minnesota ATP is organized along the District 6 boundary and includes all the counties in the district. In addition to MnDOT District 6 staff, representatives from cities, counties, tribal governments, other agencies and industry are included in the ATP. Through the ATP, these organizations are responsible for reviewing the district’s proposed four construction program and recommend local transportation priorities for federal funding.
Tribal Governments
The Prairie Island Indian Community is located in District 6. MnDOT consults with tribes annually to discuss transportation issues and projects. A member of the tribe sits on the ATP.
Metropolitan Planning Organizations
MPOs lead the development of area transportation plans and coordinates the transportation planning process. All urban areas with populations greater than 50,000 are required by federal law to have an MPO if the agencies spend federal funds on transportation improvements. There are two MPOs in District 6.
Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments
The Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the planning area encompassing the city of Rochester and surrounding urbanized areas.
LaCrosse Area Planning Committee
The LaCrosse Area Planning Committee is the MPO for the area encompassing LaCrosse WI and LaCresent MN.
Toward Zero Deaths
Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) is a multi-agency partnership led by the Minnesota Departments of Transportation, Public Safety and Health in cooperation with the FHWA, Minnesota county engineers, the Center for Transportation Studies and other traffic safety organizations.