In 2016, the Highway 25 Coalition formed as a collaboration to benefit the region. The Coalition:
- Developed commitment among policymakers
- Created an understanding of transportation issues affecting the region
- Identified the importance of the connection and opportunity represented by TH 25, US 10, I-94, the Mississippi River, and the rail line
- Completed projects that yielded clear, usable data on traffic and service level, and a collective recommendation for a second river crossing to support long-term needs
By early 2019, extensive discussion of a river crossing revealed that transportation factors alone cannot drive a bridge location:
- Transportation supports land use and development goals
- The required federal environmental process is time-consuming, expensive, and includes all location options — and does not consider social, land use, and economic factors
- However, these factors are critical to accomplishing community goals
With guidance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the group committed to creating a shared regional vision and goals — and then determining what’s necessary to accomplish them. This led to plans to explore a broader range of issues in more depth.
- June 2019: Hired consultant/facilitator with multi-jurisdictional process experience to provide support and guidance to the group
- July 2019 adopted a new name: Central Mississippi River Regional Planning Partnership along with a new Joint Powers Agreement that reflected the expanded scope