Project Manager Newsletter
February 2024
Welcome to the February edition of the PM Newsletter! This month we are still working on updating the public engagement plan and getting the Notice of Intent ready for publishing. The Notice of Intent process will have a 30-day public comment period, so I encourage you all to send in your comments during that time. Keep in mind that the Notice of Intent is a federal process that is required when developing environmental impact statements. The Notice of Intent will explain that MnDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will be starting an EIS process on the Hwy 252/I-94 corridor and will reference information included in the Final Scoping Decision Document. There will not be any new information until the draft EIS phase.
I don’t have much to discuss regarding project updates, so I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about MnDOT’s property acquisition process associated with projects. I know this is a very important topic for many of you and I am hoping this helps ease some anxiety as well.
I have lots of top priorities when working on developing projects, such as open communication and transparency throughout, but a very important one is reducing property impacts. Under Minnesota law, MnDOT has the authority to acquire property for the state highway system, but there are detailed requirements MnDOT must meet.
MnDOT:
- can only acquire what land is needed for the highway
- must buy land at fair and just prices, and
- cannot purchase land until the environmental process is completed.
As part of the environmental process, MnDOT looks to see if property impacts can be avoided. If not, then we try and minimize the impacts. If that doesn’t work, as a last resort, we mitigate the impacts. There are many ways to avoid or minimize property impacts once the roadway type is decided, including the use of bridges, retaining walls and steep slopes; adjusting the location of a road to not interfere with property; and reducing the size of a roadway.
There will be property impacts on the Hwy 252/I94 corridor with all alternatives except the No Build alternative and they may range in size from just a few square feet to the entire property. The precise property impacts won’t be fully known until the final environmental impact statement is completed, but we will begin to know what some of the impacts are by this summer. My job is to eliminate or minimize those impacts as much as I can and still maintain a safe roadway that meets standard requirements. If you or people you know think they could be impacted, please know that we will do our best to avoid or minimize the impacts.
If you have questions or comments that you would like to discuss, please reach out to me or any of the MnDOT team.