Principal Investigator(s):
Frank Douma, Director, State & Local Policy, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Co-Investigators:
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Adeel Lari, Former Researcher, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Project summary:
In its 2013 session, the Minnesota Legislature directed the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to fund research at the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies on "transportation policy and economic competitiveness, including, but not limited to, innovative transportation finance options and economic development, transportation impacts of industry clusters and freight, and transportation technology impacts on economic competitiveness." As of June 2017, work has included the development and continued maintenance of a Transportation Finance Database, an online atlas of freight and supply chains for selected industry clusters in Minnesota, and research into the potential policy impacts and implications of self-driving vehicles. A finance white paper was published on the website along with two-page summaries of existing research. A second paper on the grain supply chain in Minnesota was submitted for publication in August, and a report on how (and to what extent) self-driving vehicles (SDVs) could benefit the greatest number of the "transportation disadvantaged" people was being prepared.