Mission:

The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT’s) mission is to provide the highest quality, dependable, multi-modal transportation system through ingenuity, integrity, alliance and accountability.

Statewide Outcome(s):

Transportation supports the following statewide outcome(s).

Sustainable options to safely move people, goods, services and information.

Context:

MnDOT exists to develop and implement transportation policies, plans and programs that enhance the quality of life for Minnesota citizens and promote the safety of the traveling public. In additional to quality of life, economic development is dependent on the ability of citizens to efficiently and economically transport goods and services. MnDOT was created to build and maintain the state’s transportation network.

MnDOT’s vision is to be a global leader in transportation, committed to upholding public needs and collaboration with internal and external partners to create a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation system for the future.

MnDOT’s strategic objectives are:

·         Safety – Promote and maintain a safe, reliable and modern transportation system

·         Mobility – Improve access and enhance the movement of people and freight

·         Innovation – Promote a culture of innovation in the organization

·         Leadership – Become the transportation leader and employer of choice for Minnesota’s diverse population

·         Transparency – Build public trust in MnDOT

MnDOT’s investment objectives are:

·         Preserve Existing Infrastructure – Preserve the state’s assets and implement effective improvements that maintain the roads and bridges on the trunk highway system in a safe and sound condition.

·         Improve Safety – Implement the Strategic Highway Safety Plan by investing in proactive strategies that reduce transportation-related fatalities and injuries through the use of new and improved technology and safety measures.

·         Improve Mobility - Engineer solutions that reduce congestion and improve mobility. Expand multimodal transportation to create alternative means of travel.

·         Regional and Community Investment Priorities – Investments that respond to regional concerns and collaboration opportunities, beyond the performance based needs of the system, in order to support economic competitiveness and the quality of life in Minnesota.

MnDOT’s funding is organized across four programs with 13 budget activities, as follows:

MnDOT’s primary source of funding comes from the Trunk Highway Fund which is supported by motor fuel excise taxes, motor vehicle registration tax, and motor vehicle sales taxes. Other sources of department funding include Federal Funds, the Transit Assistance Fund, the State Airports Fund, the County State Aid Highway Fund and the Municipal State Aid Street Fund. Currently less than one percent of the operating budget is from the general fund.

Strategies:

Stakeholder Involvement and Customer Research

MnDOT engages a wide variety of key partners, including internal staff, the public, other state agency staff, local communities, cultural groups, professional organizations, the media, vendors, and consultants. MnDOT collaboratively works with partners and stakeholders to meet the needs of customers, the traveling public.

Over the past three years, MnDOT has managed an Online Customer Community, consisting of 400 customers serving as “citizen advisors” to MnDOT. Community members participate in weekly online discussions and surveys, on a multitude of transportation issues. In addition, MnDOT conducts an annual Omnibus survey designed to gather longitudinal data that monitors citizen feedback of services provided (snow plowing, smooth roads, signage, etc.). MnDOT uses the information captured in both of these programs to understand the needs of the public and works to incorporate that into the level of service provided. Over the past two years MnDOT has also studied what Quality of Life (QOL) means to its citizens. This study identified what QOL is and how transportation fits as one of the 11 factors contributing to Minnesotans’ quality of life. This study also identified those transportation services that contribute to the QOL of Minnesotans and the satisfaction scores for each. This information is being used to inform our service delivery and future investment decisions.

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

To address a number of key agency issues, MnDOT recently adopted an approach to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) that is designed to enable decision-making at all levels. The ERM framework assists in setting priorities across the agency and provides the policy, process, and accountability structure through which risks are identified and managed to accomplish the agency’s vision, mission, and business objectives.

Innovation

MnDOT is committed to creating and maintaining a culture that invites innovation and rapid adoption of new practices that improve overall efficiency and service delivery.

Multimodal Planning

MnDOT has recently led the development of a 50-year multimodal vision for transportation in Minnesota. Moving forward, MnDOT is committed to being a leader in the planning for and investing in an efficient, and dependable multimodal transportation system that maximizes the health of people, the environment, and our economy, now and for future generations.

Complete Streets

MnDOT remains committed to a Complete Street (CS) vision for our trunk highway system. The goal of CS is to develop a balanced system that integrates all modes and uses integrated planning and design to enable safe access for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and abilities. MnDOT continues to meet with an External Advisory Group and work on revising our processes and guidance documents.

Measuring Success:

The success of these strategies is reflected in the customer research data and corroborated through ongoing communications with MnDOT customers, who voice that they see the alignment between their feedback and the services we deliver. For example:

·         Stakeholder perception of transportation leadership – 80 percent favorable partner average on their level of agreement of responding county engineers, city engineers, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPO)/regional development commissions (RDC) with the following statement: “MnDOT is respected and credible as a transportation leader in our state.”

·         Stakeholder perception of innovation – 77 percent favorable partner average on their level of agreement of responding county engineers, city engineers, and MPOs/RDCs with: “MnDOT is a valued, innovative technical resource...”

·         Public perception of MnDOT delivering the transportation system – 84 percent of Minnesotans agree that MnDOT can be relied on to deliver Minnesota’s transportation system.