Minnesota

City: 
Minneapolis
Facilities: 
I-94
Facility Type: 
Freeway shoulder
Description: 
provides access between MARTA rail station and Mansell Road; 6 mi initially expanding to 12 mi
Objectives: 
Reduce congestion levels to pre-bridge collapse conditions by providing additional capacity through utilization of existing shoulders.
Date Implemented: 
2007
Date Terminated: 
Pending
Other Information: 
Prior operation was bus-only shoulder operations
Operational Information
Allowed Vehicles: 
All vehicles
Operating Partners: 
Mn/DOT
Operational Hours: 
24/7
Conditions: 
Temporary treatment; additional alternatives are under analysis and consideration.
Maximum Speed: 
55 mph
Oversize Vehicles: 
Was a major concern because lanes were 11 ft wide; no major problems arose. No significant rise in sideswipes.
Geometric Features
Cross Section Details: 
11 ft lane; no shoulder on right side
Treatment at Interchanges: 
Transit vehicles go through the ramps; tightened up merge areas
Handling of Inlets: 
N/A
Handling of Rumble Strips: 
N/A
Guardrail and Fixed Objects: 
May have been some additions at ramp reconfiguration; temporary widening and temporary retaining wall to hold back cross-slope
Pull Off Areas: 
N/A
Pavement: 
N/A
Traffic Control Devices
Pavement Markings: 
Traditional lane skip stripe and right shoulder marking
Overhead Signs and Signals: 
None
Ground Mounted Signs: 
BOS signs removed
ITS: 
Cameras, loop detection in all lanes at half mile spacing and on freeway ramps, CMS, & ramp meters.
Performance Measures
Monitoring Responsibilities: 
Mn/DOT
Operational Effectiveness: 
Congestion / Pre-collapse: AM peak - general improvements in both directions in length but not duration; PM peak - improvement in EB direction in length but not duration; Congestion / Post-collapse: AM peak - improvements in length and duration; PM peak - improvements in length and duration; Travel Time: AM peak - improvement brought peak-hour travel times back down to pre-collapse levels in both directions; PM peak - improvement to pre-collapse levels in both directions
Safety Evaluation: 
Pre-collapse 3-year crash rate: EB-1.5, WB-2.4, Total-1.9; Post-collapse 7-month crash rate: EB-1.7, WB-1.8, Both-1.8 / Pre-collapse 3-year crash severity: EB-2.0, WB-3.0, Total-2.5; Post-collapse 7-month crash severity: EB-2.2, WB-2.3, Total-2.2
Other Impacts: 
Removal of bus-only shoulders resulted in $1.3 million loss of revenue for Metro Transit from FTA
Costs: 
$1.1 million
Enforcement
Responsibility: 
Minnesota State Patrol
Fines: 
unknown
Approach: 
visual inspection
Maintenance: 
MnDOT responsible
Incident Reponse
Responsibilties: 
Response primarily handled by Minnesota State Patrol; Freeway Incident Response Safety Team (FIRST) handled by MnDOT was stepped up coverage of this area
Average Response Time: 
2007: 37.3 min; no significant change in corridor nor when compared to the metro wide average
Strategies: 
N/A
Operational Experience: 
Removal of bus-only shoulders resulted in $1.3 million loss of revenue for Metro Transit from FTA
Institutional Issues
Liability: 
There were concerns related to crash rates and impact on transit; transit took advantage of reduced congestion
Public Outreach: 
Talked to cities, but was brief because it was implemented quickly, just 2 weeks after bridge collapse.
Legislation: 
None; required agreement with FHWA because of the reduction in standards.
Difficulty: 
None