The Itasca Project has conducted several investigations into the return on investment in regional transit infrastructure, which it has found to be well over 2x in several scenarios. In 2010-2012, a task force sought to understand the expected economic return on regional transit investments in order to inform the regional conversation on transit expansion that was occurring at the time. (Read the 2012 regional Transit ROI study here.) The work formed a model for a similar analysis undertaken by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in late 2013, which examined the return on investment of the state highway system. (Read that report here.)
Itasca Project continues to provide information to public officials and others interested in how best to plan for continued population growth in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, as well as an emerging workforce that favors multiple transit options. We actively participate in conversations with business groups such as the Minnesota Business Partnership, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, GREATER MSP, and the Minneapolis and St. Paul Chambers of Commerce to provide the input of business into the regional dialogue. In 2019, Itasca worked with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and St Paul Area Chamber of Commerce to refresh the research on the return on investment for transit and transportation. The report can be found here.
