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Appendix C: IIJA State Freight Plan Requirements

The Minnesota State Freight Plan has been meticulously developed to align with federal requirements outlined in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Under IIJA, a number of new state freight plan requirements were added to the requirements detailed in the previous funding and authorization bill, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. A summary of the IIJA State Freight Plan Requirements and details on which sections of the Plan addresses these requirements is provided in the following table.

IIJA State Freight Plan Requirement Location in the State Freight Plan
(1) an identification of significant freight system trends, needs, and issues with respect to the State; Chapter 2. Current and Future Freight Trends and Issues describes dynamic freight trends affecting freight movement in Minnesota that must be considered when developing policies, programs and projects to address freight needs and issues. These include global trade and supply chain disruptions like COVID as well as demographic and workforce changes, changing market dynamics, climate change and equity impacts, truck parking challenges, and innovative or emerging freight technologies.
(2) a description of the freight policies, strategies, and performance measures that will guide the freight-related transportation investment decisions of the State; Chapter 5. Freight Policies and Strategies provides a detailed summary of MnDOT's freight policies and strategies. Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance describes the performance of Minnesota's multimodal freight network and Chapter 7. Freight Investment Plan and Implementation details the freight system investments MnDOT has programmed through the Minnesota Highway Freight Program. The chapter also describes the overall approach and performance measures used to score program applications.
(3) when applicable, a listing of: (A) multimodal critical rural freight facilities and corridors designated within the State under section 70103 of this title; and (B) critical rural and urban freight corridors designated within the State under section 167 of title 23; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance describes Minnesota's multimodal designated freight network, including critical rural and urban freight corridor segments within the State. These segments are also illustrated in Appendix A.
(4) a description of how the plan will improve the ability of the State to meet the national multimodal freight policy goals described in section 70101(b) of this title and the national highway freight program goals described in section 167 of title 23; The Introduction describes how the Minnesota State Freight Plan aligns closely with the six objectives of the Minnesota Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan and also directly support the national multimodal freight policy and national highway fright program goals.
(5) a description of how innovative technologies and operational strategies, including intelligent transportation systems, that improve the safety and efficiency of freight movement, were considered; Chapter 2. Current and Future Freight Trends and Issues describes a variety of innovative freight technologies and operational strategies that MnDOT considered to best prepare for adoption and implementation of new systems or experiences.
(6) in the case of routes on which travel by heavy vehicles (including mining, agricultural, energy cargo or equipment, and timber vehicles) is projected to substantially deteriorate the condition of roadways, a description of improvements that may be required to reduce or impede the deterioration; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance provides detail on the multimodal freight routes handling heavy industrial cargo in Minnesota.
(7) an inventory of facilities with freight mobility issues, such as truck bottlenecks, within the State, and for those facilities that are State owned or operated, a description of the strategies the State is employing to address those freight mobility issues; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance includes a description of the State's freight mobility issues and a list of Minnesota's top truck bottlenecks. Chapter 5. Freight Policies and Strategies describes the set of goals, policies and detailed strategies that MnDOT and its freight partners will use to address freight mobility issues in the State.
(8) consideration of any significant congestion or delay caused by freight movements and any strategies to mitigate that congestion and delay; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance includes an evaluation of freight congestion and delay in Minnesota, specifically travel time reliability and vehicle hours of delay. Chapter 5. Freight Policies and Strategies includes a summary of the Freight Action Agenda with specific key actors to implement strategies to mitigate freight congestion and delay.
(9) a freight investment plan that, subject to subsection (c)(2), includes a list of priority projects and describes how funds made available to carry out section 167 of title 23 would be invested and matched; Chapter 7. Freight Investment Plan and Implementation describes the prioritization process and overall approach used to score applications to the Minnesota Highway Freight Program and details MnDOT's programmatic freight system investments.
(10) the most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessment conducted by the State under subsection (f); (A) the capability of the State, together with the private sector in the State, to provide adequate parking facilities and rest facilities for commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate transportation; (B) the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in the State; (C) whether there exist any areas within the State with a shortage of adequate commercial motor vehicle parking facilities, including an analysis of the underlying causes of such a shortage; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance provides detail on the State's evaluation of statewide truck parking availability, describes the highest concentrations of daily truck volumes in the State and areas that routinely meet or exceed their truck parking capacity.
(11) the most recent supply chain cargo flows in the State, expressed by mode of transportation; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance summarizes multimodal freight flows by tonnage and value. Chapter 4. Freight Forecasts summarizes future multimodal freight flows by tonnage and value.
(12) an inventory of commercial ports in the State; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance provides an inventory of commercial ports in Minnesota.
(13) if applicable, consideration of the findings or recommendations made by any multi-State freight compact to which the State is a party under section 70204; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance includes a description of the Truck Parking Information Management System, a multi-state effort to support truck parking.
(14) the impacts of e-commerce on freight infrastructure in the State; Chapter 1. Importance of Freight to Minnesota summarizes the impacts of the dramatic increase e-commerce across the state. Chapter 2. Current and Future Freight Trends and Issues also describes a variety of e-commerce impacts and market outcomes.
(15) considerations of military freight; Chapter 3. Minnesota's Freight System Assets, Conditions and Performance includes a description of the conditions and performance of the freight system designated to support military operations in Minnesota.
(16) strategies and goals to decrease: (A) the severity of impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters on freight mobility; (B) the impacts of freight movement on local air pollution; (C) the impacts of freight movement on flooding and stormwater runoff; and (D) the impacts of freight movement on wildlife habitat loss; and Chapter 5. Freight Policies and Strategies includes a summary of the Freight Action Agenda with specific strategies to mitigate extreme disaster impacts on freight mobility as well as unintended freight impacts on local air pollution, the environment or vulnerable populations.
(17) consultation with the State freight advisory committee, if applicable. Chapter 5. Freight Policies and Strategies includes a summary of the continuous outreach and communication with the Minnesota Freight Advisory Committee.