Metro District Layout Approval Committee
The Metro District Layout Approval Committee (LAC) reviews layouts as part of the staff approval process for the Metro District. The roles and responsibilities of the committee are:
- To review all layouts submitted to the Metro District for content and consistency with district standards.
- To recommend revisions, provide strategic alternatives, and help evaluate solutions to increase the probability of an early quality product.
- To recommend approval of the layouts generated by Metro District to the District Program Delivery Resource Engineer (the person approving the layouts for the district).
- To track approved Metro District layouts and maintain an ongoing database.
Layout Approval Process
Prior to beginning the formal process, the Project Manager is responsible for ensuring an ongoing review of the layout by all relevant functional groups and the Central Office Geometric Design Support Unit (GDSU). Level 1 layouts are required to be reviewed by GDSU; Levels 2 and 3 are optional but recommended. Once all input and comments have been received, the formal approval steps are as follows:
- Agenda Request: The Project Manager requests to be added to the Layout Approval Committee (LAC) agenda.
- Scheduling: The LAC Chair assigns the project a meeting date. The LAC meets every other Wednesday. Layouts and supporting documents must be submitted two weeks prior to the desired meeting date to be included in the LAC agenda. Any submittals after that will be included in the next LAC meeting.
- Submission: The Project Manager submits the geometric layout and profile along with a submittal letter, a completed layout content review form, a design memo, and any comments received from other functional groups.
- Presentation: The Metro Project Manager presents the project to the Committee, detailing development, constraints, and alternatives.
- Review Documentation: The Committee records and provides comments to the Metro Project Manager via a formal comment letter and a PDF version of the layout containing review markups. The Metro Project Manager is responsible for the distribution of the formal comment letter and the LAC-reviewed layout PDF to the appropriate personnel, including non-MnDOT personnel and consultant designers.
- Revision: The Project Manager revises the layout based on Committee feedback. Any comments not implemented in the revision must be addressed with either a comment response letter or a comment response version of the LAC-reviewed layout PDF.
- Resolution: The Project Manager resolves all remaining issues between the functional groups, LAC, and GDSU.
- Recommendation: The Committee recommends the layout for approval to the District Engineer or their designee.
- Final Signatures: The Metro Project Manager circulates the layout for formal signatures.
Layout Approval Committee Schedule for 2026
- January 14
- January 28
- February 11
- February 25
- March 11
- March 25
- April 8
- April 22
- May 6
- May 20
- June 3
- June 17
- July 1
- July 15
- July 29
- August 12
- August 26
- September 9
- September 23
- October 7
- October 21
- November 4
- November 18
- December 2
- December 16
- December 30