Area Transportation Partnerships

The Northwest Minnesota Area Transportation Partnership (ATP) was formed in 1993 following passage of landmark federal surface transportation legislation in 1991 requiring states to emphasize greater planning, multi-modal decision making, and local and public involvement in the development of transportation plans and programs. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) established Area Transportation Partnerships (ATP) in response to this new legislation as a way of providing a substate geographic focus on transportation decisions that involve the programming of federal transportation funding included in the Minnesota State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Northwest Minnesota ATP values the role that the local and regional partners play in identifying transportation needs and priorities. Local and regional partners are responsible for participating in the selection of local projects seeking federal transportation funding and for recommending a prioritized list of transportation needs to Northwest Minnesota ATP in the preparation of the Draft ATIP. Eligible projects include all projects requesting funding under Title 23 of the United States Code (USC) (highway) and Title 49 USC (transit). MnDOT District 2 is responsible for overseeing the ATIP development process and ensuring its completion (via the use of ATP2 and MPO) in the Northwest minnesota ATP programming area.

Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration requires a non-federal match of at least 20 percent of project costs. Applicants may be requested to exceed the minimum 20 percent matching requirements to maximize and leverage available federal funds targeted to the region. MnDOT permits overmatching of federal funds but limits this type of matching option to only locally-sponsored projects. In these instances, federal participation should not be less than 30 percent as a rule unless approved first by MnDOT and the Federal Highway Administration and/ or Federal Transit Administration. State projects seeking federal funds generally are funded at the maximum federal level allowed pursuant to the particular federal program being pursued and programmed.

Federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds provided to local agencies under the ATP Managed Program provide a flexible source of funding that may be used by cities and counties for projects on any Federal-aid eligible highway or street. They may also be used for bridge projects on any public road and for transit capital requests. Federal and state trunk highway funds provided under the SPP and DRMP are targeted to the MnDOT Districts to ensure attainment toward federal and state performance requirements and district goals.

Amendments to the STIP are needed for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the following examples:

• A project is not listed in the current, approved STIP and must be added to the current (1st) year.
• There is an increase in the total cost of the project warranting an amendment.
• A phase of work (preliminary engineering, right of way, construction, etc.) is added to the project and increases the project cost.
• The project scope is changed (e.g., for a bridge project, changing rehab to replace; or for a highway projects, changing from resurface to reconstruct; etc.).
• There is a major change in the project termini/length warranting amendment.

What types of situations require Northwest minnesota ATP Action?

Northwest minnesota ATP has worked to clarify its amendment requirements, streamline the decision-making process, and minimize potential delays to projects that would otherwise require formal action by Northwest minnesota ATP. The policy provides guidance on when formal action by Northwest minnesota ATP is required to amend the STIP and when such action is not warranted. Although formal action by Northwest minnesota ATP may not be required, formal action between the MnDOT District, MnDOT Central Office and the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Metropolitan Planning Organization may be required.

Northwest Minnesota ATP meetings are open to the public. These meetings are typically held in-person at the McIntosh Community Center, 115 Broadway NW McIntosh, MN, and virtually using Microsoft Teams from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Meeting summary notes and documents

If you'd like to speak

If you want to speak at the meeting you may do so as part of the regularly scheduled open forum. We limit presentations to five minutes per individual or 10 minutes per group. Contact Jon Mason, MnDOT District 2 planning director, at 218-407-1917 or by e-mail at jon.mason@state.mn.us at least two weeks before the meeting to be added to the agenda. 

Agendas

You can receive a copy of the tentative agenda by contacting the District Planning Office at 218-407-1917.

Accessibility

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter, call 651-366-4720. To request other reasonable accommodations, call the Minnesota Relay Service toll-free at 1-800-627-3529 (TYY, Voice or ASCII) or 711, or email your request to adarequest.dot@state.mn.us.

• September - January: Solicit projects
• Feb - April: Develop Draft ATIP
• May: Public review and comment
• June: Submit final ATIP to MnDOT Central Office
• July - August: STIP approval by Commissioner
• September - October: STIP approval by Federal Transportation Authorities

Northwest Minnesota ATP membership consists of 10 voting and 5 non-voting members comprised of individuals representing counties, cities, regional planning agencies, tribal nations, transit, MnDOT, and other transportation interests.

Voting members

• Sam Anderson, City of Bemidji (Vice Chair - voted in December 2023), District State-Aid Cities Committee
• Taylor Amiot, Red Lake County Engineer, District County Engineers Committee
• Sharon Bring, Marshall County Commissioner, Northwest Regional Development Commission
• Ben Ehreth- The Forks MPO ben.ehreth@theforksmpo.org
  
• Brian Ketring, District 2 State Aid Engineer (Chair - voted in December 2023), MnDOT District 2
• Darren Laesch, District 2 Assistant District Engineer, MnDOT District 2
• AJ Pirkl, Lake of the Woods County Engineer, Headwaters Regional Development Commission
• Al Pemberton, Red Lake Tribal Government, Tribal Governments
• Dan Sauve, Clearwater County Engineer, Headwaters Regional Development Commission
• Warren Strandell, Polk County Commissioner, Northwest Regional Development Commission

Non-voting members and staff

• J.T. Anderson, MnDOT District 2 Engineer, MnDOT District 2
• Tim Finseth, NWRDC Planner, Northwest Regional Development Commission Staff
• Tony Klaers, HRDC Planner, Headwaters Regional Development Commission Staff
• Teri Kouba, Grand Forks/East Grand Forks MPO, Grand Forks- East Grand Forks Metropolitan Planning Organization Staff
• Jon Mason, District 2 Planning Director,MnDOT District 2 Staff/ATP Facilitator
• Brandy Pemberton District 2 Planning STIP Coordinator
• Troy Schroeder, MnDOT District 2 Senior Planner

We review the operating procedures on a yearly basis, typically occurring at the beginning of an ATIP development cycle in September or October, for any improvements or updates needed to procedures or policies.

• Northwest Minnesota ATP Operations and Policy Manual (PDF)

2025-2026 Solicitation timeline

• Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 – Announce solicitation; Open LOI period
• Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 – Deadline for applicants to submit LOI
• Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 – LOIs review process by RDO/MPO/MnDOT Districts begins
• Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 – Deadline for RDO/MPO/MnDOT District review of LOIs and recommendation to proceed with full application given to applicants
• Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 – Official start of full application period
• Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – Deadline for applicants to submit full applications
• Monday, Mar. 30, 2026 – Deadline for ATPs to select projects; Deadline for MPOs to select CRP projects
• Transportation Alternatives website
• Northwest Minnesota ATP letter of intent worksheet (Word)

2025-2026 Solicitation timeline

• Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 – Announce solicitation; Open LOI period
• Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 – Deadline for applicants to submit LOI
• Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 – LOIs review process by RDO/MPO/MnDOT Districts begins
• Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 – Deadline for RDO/MPO/MnDOT District review of LOIs and recommendation to proceed with full application given to applicants
• Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 – Official start of full application period
• Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – Deadline for applicants to submit full applications
• Monday, Mar. 30, 2026 – Deadline for ATPs to select projects; Deadline for MPOs to select CRP projects
• Carbon Reduction Program website
• Northwest Minnesota ATP letter of intent worksheet (Word)

2025-2026 Solicitation timeline

• Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 – Announce solicitation; Open LOI period
• Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 – Deadline for applicants to submit LOI
• Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 – LOIs review process by RDO/MPO/MnDOT Districts begins
• Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 – Deadline for RDO/MPO/MnDOT District review of LOIs and recommendation to proceed with full application given to applicants
• Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 – Official start of full application period
• Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 – Deadline for applicants to submit full applications
• Monday, Mar. 30, 2026 – Deadline for ATPs to select projects; Deadline for MPOs to select CRP projects
• PROTECT website
• Northwest Minnesota ATP PROTECT letter of intent worksheet (Word)

Northwest Minnesota ATP considers the transportation priorities of the area’s partnerships:

• Region 1 Northwest Regional Development Commission
• Region 2 Headwaters Regional Development Commission
• Grand Forks / East Grand Forks Metropolitan Planning Organization
• MnDOT District 2

How the STIP is tied into the CHIP

The STIP is created by drawing projects from the Capital Highway Investment Plan (CHIP), the 10-year plan of which the first four years are the STIP and years 5-10 are the work plan years.

• View the CHIP