In 2015, Scott County, MnDOT, and Metropolitan Council initiated the Highway 169 Mobility Study to evaluate the potential for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), MnPASS Highway Express Travel Lanes, and highway spot mobility improvements in the southwest metropolitan area.
The study area runs roughly 20 miles from Marschall Road in Shakopee in Scott County to Highway 55 in Golden Valley in Hennepin County, and then another seven miles to downtown Minneapolis. The corridor is populous and jobs-rich, with more than 215,000 residents and 187,000 employees at thousands of businesses in a range of industries within two miles of Highway 169. The study was finalized in 2018, and the City included study recommendations in its 2040 Comprehensive Plan draft.
The BRT alternatives in the study considered the use of either I-394 or Highway 55 to travel from Highway 169 to downtown Minneapolis. The study recommends that Alternative 2 along Highway 55 continue to be used for future study, analysis, and design. Additionally, the study recommends adding center-running MnPASS lanes in both directions on Highway 169 from Marschall Road in Shakopee to Highway 55 in Golden Valley. The study also recommends adding a frontage road connection on the east side of Highway 169 between Highway 55 and Betty Crocker Drive in order to improve safety and decrease traffic delays. A detailed Implementation Plan, as well as several technical memos, provide information on each recommendation.
Meeting minutes and other information about the study can be found on the MnDOT website.