Minnesota Department of Transportation

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About MnDOT

About MnDOT

Our strategic direction

Cover of the 2023-2027 Minnesota Department of Transportation Strategic Plan
Download the 2023-2027 Minnesota Department of Transportation Strategic Plan (PDF)

Vision

Minnesota’s multimodal transportation system maximizes the health of people, the environment and our economy

Mission

Connect and serve all people through a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system

Values

Our values guide how all MnDOT employees show up each day on behalf of Minnesotans

  • Safety: We recognize safety is core to our work and build it into everything we do.
  • Service: We take pride in our work and hold ourselves to the highest standards.
  • Equity: We actively remove barriers to create an inclusive transportation system that benefits all.
  • Sustainability: We act today to contribute to a better transportation system of the future.
  • Innovation: We search for new ideas, experiment to learn and grow and create value for the public.
  • Collaboration: We leverage the contributions of our team members and partners, acknowledging the impact we can have together.

Our day-to-day work

Transportation is about connecting people to family, friends and community. Everyone who lives in or passes through our state is impacted by our transportation system. Whether traveling to a school, retail or grocery store, sporting event, clinic, place of work or special event, our lives are touched nearly every day by our access to transportation.

A multimodal transportation system

While we are most visible for keeping roads clear in the winter and constructing and maintaining roads and bridges, MnDOT’s responsibilities are much broader than that.

We develop and implement transportation policies, create long-term plans and programs and regulate operations for airports, freight carriers, railroads, transit providers and waterways.

We play an important role in maintaining and improving bicycling and walking infrastructure and play a leading role in Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths goals.

Our strategic goals

Our goals demonstrate our commitment to creating a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system. We will advance statewide goals and continue to build and maintain a comprehensive transportation system that serves Minnesotans now and into the future - including enhancing pedestrian safety, reducing transportation’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions and cultivating a more diverse transportation industry and workforce.

Strategic alignment

We recognize that MnDOT is not alone in tackling these critical transportation challenges. We have opportunities to engage with and learn from efforts happening nationally and within Minnesota. By creating alignment at every level, we’ve developed a plan that is specific to MnDOT, yet provides support for broader transportation policy and investment initiatives.

  • The U.S. DOT Strategic Plan establishes the U.S. Department of Transportation’s strategic goals and objectives. This is a roadmap for transformative investments that will modernize our infrastructure to deliver safer, cleaner and more equitable transportation systems.
  • The One Minnesota Strategic Plan identifies the State of Minnesota’s mission, vision, guiding principles and priorities.
  • The Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan is Minnesota’s highest level policy plan for transportation. The policy direction is established with partners, stakeholders, and the public. It is a 20-year plan based on Minnesota GO - a vision of a transportation system that maximizes the health of people, the environment and our economy. It supports the 16 goals for transportation established by the Minnesota Legislature. The plan is for all types of transportation and all transportation partners.
  • MnDOT’s Agency Risk Register assesses agency risk by identifying, analyzing and evaluating uncertainty associated with capital, governance and organizational objectives.

Goals outline

Our 2023-2027 strategic goals are:

  • Promote a safety culture
  • Advance transportation equity
  • Champion sustainability actions
  • Maximize stewardship of resources
  • Foster a thriving workforce

Each goal has key objectives, strategies and performance measures identified. Our strategies are intended to be examples of actions that MnDOT can take to advance our goals. Our performance measures are quantitative measures to show our progress toward the goals and related objectives. To track progress, some measures focus on whether a strategy is making a difference for people receiving services and members of the public broadly, while others focus on the quality of our efforts. We anticipate that new strategies and performance measures will emerge as we research, innovate and collaborate in each of these key objectives.

How we implement

Making progress on these strategic goals will require a collaborative and flexible approach. We will need engagement at all levels of MnDOT. Our managers, supervisors and employees all have a part in ensuring we are creating a safe, equitable and sustainable transportation system.

Implementation principles

  • We will leverage existing plans, committees, measures and proven strategies wherever possible to expand our capacity and increase our impact.
  • Where MnDOT has an established and long-standing track record, we will rethink our approach and try innovative solutions.
  • Where objectives and strategies are emerging and less defined, we will explore, research and collaborate with our partners to find the best path forward. We may not always get it right the first time and we must be ready and willing to acknowledge mistakes and shift direction.

Tracking progress

Our state, our communities and our agency will continually be faced with new challenges and opportunities. MnDOT’s goal is a 2023-2027 Strategic Plan that remains timely, relevant and adaptable to our employees and stakeholders. MnDOT’s Commissioner and Senior Leadership Team will champion the plan and our strategic goals will be regularly communicated agency wide, and employees will have access to information on progress.

Each year, we will do a full assessment of our overall plan and the performance measure trends to identify where we may need to adjust our strategies. Two strategic goals MnDOT has currently prioritized for further performance measure development are Advance Transportation Equity and Foster a Thriving Workforce. MnDOT is in the process of collaborating with our staff, partners and community members to identify performance measures that best inform the strategies.

Goals

Minnesota has been a national leader in improving the safety of the traveling public with the Toward Zero Deaths program. We acknowledge our role in providing the best information and resources possible to the people we serve to reduce the possibility and impact of life-changing incidents across all modes of transportation. Our safety commitment extends to our workforce and the daily assurance that those delivering our transportation system operate in a safe and secure workplace.

One Minnesota alignment
  • Healthy Minnesotans and COVID-19 Protection
  • Children and Families Thriving Communities, Housing and Workforce
MnDOT Risk Register alignment
  • Multimodal Safety
  • Workplace Safety
Objective: Transportation safety
Strategies
  • Develop a roadway system that reduces the risk of life changing crashes by implementing a Safe System approach
  • Assess all fatal and serious injury crashes to identify potential engineering and technology solutions that could have prevented or reduced severity
  • Continue to strengthen and expand partnerships for Toward Zero Deaths, Vision Zero, Safe Routes to School, Active Transportation Program and other partnerships
  • Enhance public education programs in collaboration with transportation partners to keep the public and stakeholders informed on major transportation safety issues
  • Increase the availability and accessibility of safe transportation options for the most vulnerable users, including people walking and bicycling, by using a Complete Streets approach in all phases of planning, scoping, project development, construction, operations, permitting and maintenance activities
Key performance measure Desired result
Number of people killed on Minnesota roadways annually Toward Zero Deaths: 225 or less by 2025
Number of people seriously injured on Minnesota roadways annually 980 or less (2025 target)
Number of people killed or seriously injured and serious injuries of people walking on Minnesota roadways annually Decreasing to 0
Number of peopled killed or seriously injured bicycling on Minnesota roadways annually Decreasing to 0

Learn more about transportation safety:

Objective: Worker safety
Strategies
  • Implement safety and health management systems that foster a strong agency safety culture to prevent and effectively respond to workplace safety incidents
  • Meet our facility physical security standards and engage our employees to actively maintain security policies and procedures
  • Emphasize importance of psychological safety to reduce risk of workplace injury, increase productivity and decrease emotional distress
Key performance measure Desired result
Recordable Incident Rate (OSHA); Also known as Total Recordable Incident Rate, the measure is a ratio of the number of incidents which have occurred on-site within a specified timeframe per 100 employees. Decreasing
Annual number of MnDOT vehicle and equipment incidents Reduce by 10% annually (2027 target)

As a statewide agency, our transportation decisions have a significant impact on communities throughout Minnesota, affecting access to employment, healthcare and education. We recognize that past actions have harmed disadvantaged communities and contributed to ongoing transportation inequities. We have the ability and responsibility to ensure our spending, services and systems are supporting a transportation future that works better for everyone.

MnDOT uses multiple measures to evaluate transportation access. MnDOT is also currently developing additional measures to evaluate impacts for specific people and places. Examples of measures that significantly influence the equitability of the transportation system include multimodal access, safety and transportation costs. Additionally, MnDOT will develop measures to track the impacts of the inclusive planning and capacity building strategies.

One Minnesota Plan alignment
  • Thriving Communities, Housing and Workforce
  • Equity and Inclusion
MnDOT Risk Register alignment
  • Inclusive Public Engagement
  • Multimodal Access and Mobility
Objective: Inclusive planning and capacity building
Strategies
  • Develop and refine methods to evaluate the distribution of benefits and burdens of our transportation decisions
  • Incorporate equity definitions and considerations throughout our policy formation, project selection and project development processes
  • Build internal capacity to advance transportation equity by offering training and developing resources to ensure staff understand how their roles can advance transportation equity
  • Seek full representation from underserved communities, consider public comments and include feedback in policy and project development processes, including comprehensive corridor planning
  • Expand equitable access to the transportation system by ensuring that website content, materials and engagement methods are accessible to all
  • Pilot collaborative approaches to develop and attract more women and BIPOC to the transportation industry, including trade positions
Objective: Equitable procurement and contracting
Strategies
  • Expand the diversity of MnDOT’s contractor pool for more opportunities for women, Veterans and BIPOC contractors to perform our work
Key performance measure Desired result
Percent of direct contracting spending with vendors certified as a Target Group, Economically Disadvantaged or Veteran-Owned in the Minnesota Small Business Procurement Program 12% or more annually
Percent of federal and state contracting dollars awarded to certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and Targeted Group Businesses 12.6% for projects funded in whole or in part by the FHWA; 6.8% for FTA-funded projects

Objective: Expanded transportation access
Strategies
  • Support an equitable transportation system that provides convenient, reliable and affordable access to jobs, education and community
  • Advance community access to transportation options by providing ADA improvements to make our network substantially compliant
Key performance measure Desired result
Percent of survey respondents who agree with the following statement: “I feel MnDOT understands my needs (and the needs of others like me) and has developed a transportation system that works well for me.” 80% or higher overall and for each demographic group

The transportation sector is now the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota. Without targeted efforts to reduce climate pollution from transportation, emissions will continue increasing, impacting the health and wellbeing of people in our state. We are committed to preparing for climate change and extreme weather already impacting our transportation system. We will lead through action to transition to a low-carbon future that improves safety, reduces inequities, advances public health and supports economic opportunity for current and future generations.

One Minnesota Plan alignment
  • Healthy Minnesotans
  • Minnesota’s Environment
MnDOT Risk Register alignment
  • Multimodal Access and Mobility
  • Infrastructure Resilience
  • Response to Transportation GHG
Objective: Carbon reduction
Strategies
  • Work with transportation partners to identify and advance statewide strategies for reducing per capita vehicle miles traveled by 20% by 2050
  • Coordinate with public and private sector partners to reduce transportation carbon pollution and meet MnDOT’s long-range policy goals
  • Develop plans and pilot tools and strategies to better incorporate climate action into project-level decision-making and agency investment decisions
  • Implement Complete Streets Policy and develop tools to increase use of transit, bicycling, walking and transportation demand management to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips
  • Integrate carbon reduction strategies and tools into project processes, programs and policies to build ownership across the agency
Key performance measure Desired result
Total annual greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector 29.5 million metric tons CO2e (30% reduction) (2027 target)
Per capita vehicle miles traveled Reduce by 4% from 2019 levels (2025 target)

Learn more about carbon reduction actions

Objective: Sustainable operations
Strategies
  • Transition MnDOT’s light and medium duty fleet to zero emission vehicles and explore options for transitioning heavy duty fleet
  • Develop and implement MnDOT facility energy plans to optimize onsite energy use and install electric vehicle chargers
  • Improve the sustainability of winter weather operations through enhanced operator training, equipment calibration and agency-wide accountability
  • Promote multimodal/zero carbon commuting and business travel options with staff and provide agency amenities to support sustainable travel mode shift
Key performance measure Desired result
MnDOT facility and fleet greenhouse gas emissions Reduce by 50% from 2005 levels (2027 target)
Percent of MnDOT light and medium duty fleet that are zero emission vehicles 100% of MnDOT sedans and SUVs are zero emission vehicles (by 2030)
Rate of liquid to solid de-icing chemicals applied to reduce overall chlorides used on the roadway for snow and ice control 200 gal of liquid per ton of solid (by 2027)

Effectively maintaining and deploying our resources is more critical than ever as we respond to community transportation needs, aging infrastructure and emerging priorities. As public servants, we are responsible for efficient, transparent and innovative management of our transportation system. We build public trust and create opportunities to expand our reach when we demonstrate excellent stewardship of our projects, infrastructure, fleet and data assets.

One Minnesota Plan alignment
  • Fiscal Accountability, Customer Experience and Measurable Results
  • Thriving Communities, Housing and Workforce
MnDOT Risk Register alignment
  • Infrastructure Resilience
  • Continuity of Operations
  • Response to Disruptive Transportation Technologies
Objective: Financial effectiveness
Strategies
  • Use best practices and data-informed approaches to ensure that construction, technology and other agency projects are on-time and on-budget
  • Establish annual baseline performance metrics and provide transparency when tracking progress to meet goals
  • Enhance local government partnerships to improve project coordination, leverage funding opportunities and advance shared priorities
Objective: Asset management
Strategies
  • Implement our asset management plan to maximize the useful life of our pavement, bridges and other critical transportation assets within available resources
  • Modernize and secure our technology to share timely and accurate information with the public and optimize our capital and operating budget management
  • Develop a robust management strategy to enhance lifecycle planning, maintenance and security for our fleet and facilities
Key performance measure Desired result
Annual percent of state highways with good and poor ride quality
• Interstate
• NHS
• Non-NHS
• Interstate Good: ≥70%
• Interstate Poor: ≤2%
• NHS Good: ≥65%
• NHS Poor: ≤4%
• Non-NHS Good: ≥60%
• Non-NHS Poor: ≤8%
Annual percent of state bridges with good and poor condition as a percent of total bridge deck area
• NHS
• Non-NHS
• NHS Good: ≥55%
• NHS Poor: ≤5%
• Non-NHS Good: ≥50%
• Non-NHS Poor: ≤8%
Percent of sidewalks, signals, curbs and driveways substantially ADA compliant 100% (2037 target)

Learn more about asset management actions:

Objective: Culture of innovation strategies
Strategies
  • Prepare for emerging technologies with national research partnerships, training and scalable pilot demonstrations
  • Accelerate, pilot and scale innovations that improve our efficiency, effectiveness and service
  • Encourage employee-driven innovation and continuous improvement through
Objective: Customer experience
Strategies
  • Conduct the agency’s biennial Statewide Omnibus Survey to capture information directly from Minnesotans about their customer experience, perceptions of MnDOT’s work and engagement with our agency
  • Develop strategies based on learnings from the Omnibus Survey to improve customer experience

Delivering a dependable and high-quality transportation system relies upon a skilled and culturally competent workforce. The state’s competitive employment market drives us to seek new opportunities to build, grow and engage our workforce. Our team members are proud to serve the public every day. We are committed to investing in their growth and creating a workplace where everyone can contribute their best.

One Minnesota Plan alignment
  • Equity and Inclusion
MnDOT Risk Register alignment
  • Inclusive Workplace
  • Workforce Stability
Objective: Employee recruitment
Strategies
  • Deploy a robust, statewide recruitment effort to promote our employment opportunities and expand our candidate pool particularly for underrepresented groups
  • Implement a framework for selection of diverse talent that uses a comprehensive approach and mitigates unconscious bias in our processes
Key performance measure Desired result
Annual percent of new hires who are retained for at least two years
• Annual percent of new hires who are BIPOC, female, person with a disability and veterans who are retained for at least two years
75%

Objective: Employee engagement and inclusion
Strategies
  • Build an inclusive and engaging work environment through employee development, increased cultural competence and expanded training and growth opportunities
  • Identify and address barriers to career advancement particularly for underrepresented employee groups
  • Create opportunities for all managers, supervisors and employees to provide ongoing feedback and contribute to agency direction
Key performance measure Desired result
Annual percent of managers, supervisors and employees identifying as BIPOC, female, individuals with a disability and veterans BIPOC: 13.7%
• Female: 23.4%
• Individuals with a Disability: 6%
• Veterans: 7.2%
Percent of MnDOT employees who agree that:
• They are treated respectfully in the workplace
• They hardly ever think about leaving for a job outside state government
• Leaders make a sufficient effort to get their opinions
Increase from 2020 and 2022 Employee Engagement and Inclusion Surveys

Objective: Future-focused workforce
Strategies
  • Foster a culture that allows flexible scheduling, telework and other innovative workplace practices to support employee recruitment and retention
  • Research and plan for the training, technology and workplace needs of our future workforce
Key performance measure Desired result
Percent of MnDOT employees who agree that:
They are satisfied with the career advancement opportunities available
Increase from 2020 and 2022 Employee Engagement and Inclusion Surveys