1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to highways; providing for use of certain national standards in design 
1.3 	and construction of state-aid streets;amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, sections 
1.4 	162.02, by adding a subdivision; 162.09, by adding a subdivision; 174.75, 
1.5 	subdivision 5.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 162.02, is amended by adding a 
1.8 	subdivision to read:
1.9 		Subd. 1a.Use of national design standards for county state-aid highways. (a) 
1.10 	A local road authority may, in its construction and reconstruction of county state-aid 
1.11 	highways, utilize design standards that are included in:
1.12 	(1) rules adopted by the commissioner as minimum state-aid standards;
1.13 	(2) the 2011 edition of A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 
1.14 	from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, as may be 
1.15 	superseded by a later edition adopted by the Federal Highway Administration; or
1.16 	(3) for projects in urban areas, the (i) most recent edition of Designing Walkable 
1.17 	Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, from the Institute of Transportation 
1.18 	Engineers; or (ii) Urban Street Design Guide, from the National Association of City 
1.19 	Transportation Officials.
1.20 	(b) Use by a local road authority of standards referenced in this subdivision does not 
1.21 	require a variance and must not affect the apportionment of state aid to counties.

1.22 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 162.09, is amended by adding a subdivision 
1.23 	to read:
2.1 		Subd. 1a.Use of national design standards for municipal state-aid streets. (a) 
2.2 	A local road authority may, in its construction and reconstruction of municipal state-aid 
2.3 	streets, utilize design standards that are included in:
2.4 	(1) rules adopted by the commissioner as minimum state-aid standards;
2.5 	(2) the 2011 edition of A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 
2.6 	from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, as may be 
2.7 	superseded by a later edition adopted by the Federal Highway Administration; or
2.8 	(3) for projects in urban areas, the (i) most recent edition of Designing Walkable 
2.9 	Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, from the Institute of Transportation 
2.10 	Engineers; or (ii) Urban Street Design Guide, from the National Association of City 
2.11 	Transportation Officials.
2.12 	(b) Use by a local road authority of standards referenced in this subdivision does not 
2.13 	require a variance and must not affect the apportionment of state aid to cities.

2.14 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 174.75, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
2.15 		Subd. 5.Variances from engineering standards. ~~(a) When evaluating a request~~ 
2.16 	~~for a variance from the engineering standards for state-aid projects under chapter 162 in~~ 
2.17 	~~which the variance request is related to complete streets, the commissioner shall consider~~ 
2.18 	~~the latest edition of:~~
2.19 	~~(1) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, from the American~~ 
2.20 	~~Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and~~
2.21 	~~(2) for projects in urban areas, the Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major~~ 
2.22 	~~Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, from the Institute of Transportation~~ 
2.23 	~~Engineers.~~
2.24 	~~(b)~~ If the commissioner denies a variance request related to complete streets, the 
2.25 	commissioner shall provide written reasons for the denial to the political subdivision 
2.26 	that submitted the request.