ABC Ramps parking garages, Transportation Options Plan

About the Research 

parking ramp
Photo: Metro Transit

The Minnesota Department of Transportation sponsored the ABC Ramps Transportation Options Plan, an 18-month project to plan the future of the ABC Ramps in downtown Minneapolis. Project components were split among University of Minnesota researchers and several transportation consulting firms.

The parking ramps, completed in 1992, are the ending point for I-394 and the high occupancy vehicle lanes, which connects Minneapolis to its western suburbs. The ramps were designed to reduce single occupant vehicles and ease congestion by encouraging carpooling and transit use but are now increasingly used by solo drivers and surrounded by congested streets. Ramp management needs to prepare for a future with changes in travel behavior, ride hailing, shared mobility, technological shifts, vehicle electrification, and, eventually, automated vehicles. What directions should policymakers take in light of these changes? The research team provided analysis and recommendations.

Sponsor

Minnesota Department of Transportation

More Information 

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