Project Manager Newsletter
February 2026
Hello and welcome to our latest monthly newsletter. This month I am talking about the preliminary results of the air quality assessment. As part of this analysis, we looked at how the proposed build alternatives would affect transportation emissions in Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey Counties.
MnDOT completed a Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSAT) assessment, a requirement for projects with the potential to create or add capacity to high-volume roadways. The assessment area includes the above 3-county area. The project team will be completing a separate analysis soon to evaluate carbon monoxide near intersections.
The assessment looked at the nine mobile source air toxics that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems a risk to national or regional health and potentially cancer-causing. These are:
- Diesel Particulate Matter
- Benzene
- Formaldehyde
- Butadiene
- Naphthalene
- Acrolein
- Acetaldehyde
- Ethylbenzene
- Polycyclics
MSATs are just one type of several pollutants related to transportation emissions that are evaluated. Others pollutants are called criteria pollutants, which include particulate matter (from brake and tire wear), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and ozone. All of this is assessed using a tool called the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) developed by the EPA with guidance on how to complete modeling for transportation projects developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The results show transportation emissions (MSATs) are projected to decrease by approximately 82% (from 2018 to 2050) due to more efficient vehicles entering the vehicle fleet and federal clean fuel emissions standards . There is an increase in MSATs between the 2050 no build and build alternatives that range from 0.1% to 0.26%, depending on the alternative. It should be noted that while overall emissions are expected to decrease 82%, the vehicle miles traveled, or the total number of miles driven by all vehicles in a specific area over a certain period, will increase
MnDOT hosted a table talk event on January 29, 2026 with the public to go through this data. Feel free to go over to our meetings tab on the project website to watch the meeting recording. The preliminary results for the criteria pollutants as part of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), were not discussed at the table talk due to time constraints.
Question of the month: How are traffic and emissions expected to change on the corridor?
Preliminary results show that study area Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is expected to grow due to population growth and traffic volume, depending on the alternative. However, vehicle emissions (pollutants) are projected to decrease by approximately 82% compared to existing conditions due to Federal emission standards.
As the study progresses, the project team will share additional information about the corridor’s future on the project website. Sign up for email updates and continue to check the website for new data as it becomes available to the public.