02. Washington County Long Range Transportation Plan Staff Report
Date of Meeting: February 7, 2024
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Subject: Washington County Long Range Transportation Plan
Background:
As discussed at our last meeting Washington County is launching a Long-Range Transportation
Plan (LRTP). I stated that I planned to attend the work session related to this plan, and
Councilmember Kronmiller also volunteered to participate. Next week the County is holding
two City and Township Work Sessions. One is on Wednesday afternoon, and the other is on
Thursday afternoon. I have included information slides on the LRTP process and the work
sessions below. At these meetings, the County is asking for 3-5 transportation “hot topics” in
our community. The topics could cover priorities, complaints, and what’s working well/what
isn’t. I will report on the comments offered at the meeting on Wednesday, and we can discuss
any specific topics the Council would like Councilmember Kronmiller to bring up at the meeting
on Thursday.
Attachments:
Washington County Long Range Transportation Plan Information Slides
Washington County
Long Range Transportation Plan
City and Township Staff Info Sessions
January 17 & 18, 2024
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Discussion Items
Long Range Transportation Plan Overview
& Project Introduction
City and Township Elected Official
Work Sessions
Questions?
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What is a Long‐Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)?
•20‐year vision document
•Establishes system goals and objectives
•Guide decision making –aid in project
prioritization to move toward stated goals
•Central resource to demonstrate system need
•Proactive approach in providing
transportation system that responds to
current needs and future demand
•Outline fiscal parameters and funding
strategies
Above: Long‐Range Plan examples
from other Counties
•20‐year look at our transportation system performance and needs
•Serve as a tool to inform and support decision making – anticipated to directly support CIP process and
grant consideration discussions
•Opportunity to outline resource parameters or constraints and implementation strategies to move the
needle on the defined system goals within available resources
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Where Does a Long‐Range Transportation Plan Fit In?
Comprehensive Plan
Snapshot of
existing/forecasted
conditions from
regional perspective
[updated every 10 years]
Capital
Improvement Plan
Address county
priorities and needs
over next five years
[updated annually]
Long Range
Transportation Plan
System review, analysis, and
prioritization based on
County vision/goals
[updated periodically]
Modal and Issues Plans
Bike/Ped Plan; County Highway Safety
Plan, ADA Transition Plan; Energy
Plan; Cost Share Policy
Increasing level of specificity in system needs and project identification
•LRTP will live between Comp Plan and CIP ‐includes a higher level of detail and analysis than what is
needed or required at a regional level, but is not as prescriptive as the CIP related to defining specific
projects.
•Comprehensive plan focuses on capturing a snapshot of existing and forecasted inventory and demand of
our transportation system from a regional perspective; does not have a financial component
•County’s capital improvement plan identifies needs that are being addressed in the next 5‐years through
specific projects and based on the available funds for that time period
•A long range plan will include more analysis than comp plan and capture system needs holistically
•Not statutorily required or bound by certain requirements or amendment procedures ‐
opportunity to create a tool or guide that is tailored to the specific needs and priorities of
Washington County
•Opportunity to build on existing planning efforts and layer independent analysis on top of one
another to holistically analyze network
•Demonstrate overall system needs (more than next 5 years)
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Washington County’s Long Range Transportation Plan
Plan Objectives/Desired Outcomes
Develop performance measures to evaluate progress and support dialog
around transportation investments
Capture comprehensive system needs based on priorities & community context
Evaluate financial landscape and identify strategies and opportunities to
maximize resources
Holistically capture system inventory, performance, and existing policies
Explore system goals and objectives to guide decision making
Five initial objectives for plan ‐not ranked in order of priority, but align with overall project process
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Washington County’s Long Range Transportation Plan
Stakeholder Engagement & Schedule
Washington County Board
County Department
Representatives
Partner Agencies
(City/Townships/MnDOT/
Met Council/Counties)
General Public
Stakeholder engagement will play a key roll in plan development….
•Plan development will be led by Washington County PW Department (Maddie Dahlheimer & Andrea
Rehm as main points of contact)
•Contracted with Transportation Collaborative –or TC2 –a local consulting firm to partner on the
work and plan development
•Stakeholders will primarily be agency partners including internal County stakeholders, and partner
Cities/Townships.
•Strategic engagement with the general public based on where we’re at in the process and where they can
have meaningful input on a plan at this scale.
Will remain flexible in our approach as process evolves ‐engagement activities may include meetings with
agency partners at key project milestones, pop‐up tables at community events, and community surveys.
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•15‐to 18‐month project process
•Phase 1 stakeholder engagement activities focused on system goals and priorities
•County Board Work Session
•City & Township Elected Official Work Sessions
•County Departments
•Community Survey
Washington County’s Long Range Transportation Plan
Stakeholder Engagement & Schedule
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City and Township
Elected Official Work Sessions
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Engagement Intent & Desired Outcome
INTENT:
1. Share overview & raise awareness of planning process and planned stakeholder
engagement
2. Solicit feedback early in process from agency partners on transportation issues,
concerns, and priorities
DESIRED OUTCOME:
Gather input to help set framework for the LRTP and directly feed into what parameters
we use to analyze our transportation system, set performance metrics, and/or identify
implementation priorities
•Upcoming work sessions intended to promote planning process & solicit feedback from partners around
transportation system priorities
•Feedback will directly inform plan framework and system analysis
•Summaries will be sent out following meeting series to highlight takeaways
Items to note:
•Meetings being framed as elected official events & Commissioners will plan to attend, but agencies are
welcome to determine participation based on preference/availability, can be elected, staff or both
•Initial work session series are only planned event for elected officials (participation is one and done as of
now); planning process intends to reach out to staff contacts at key project milestones or input
opportunities for additional input
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DRAFT Agenda
•Welcome and Introductions
•What are 3‐5 transportation “hot topics” in your community from the perspective of Elected
Officials, Staff, and/or community members? Topics could cover priorities, complaints, what’s
working well/what isn’t, etc.
•Presentation –LRTP Overview
•Facilitated Group Discussion
•System Prioritization Exercise –How would you prioritize the following system
characteristics?
•What are the challenges/barriers to achieving positive outcomes?
•What would you like to see the County’s Transportation Plan address in order to support or
bolster your work?
Draft agenda highlighting generally what type of input/questions we are planning to ask.
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Questions?
Maddie Dahlheimer, Senior Planner
madeline.dahlheimer@co.washington.mn.us
651‐430‐4338
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