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3-C

Continuing, Cooperative, and Comprehensive: By Federal regulation the APO must follow a 3-C planning process.

ADT

Average Daily Traffic: The total number of vehicles that cross a specific point along a roadway over a number of days divided by the number of days. For example, a automated traffic counter might record the following daily traffic over three days: 10,000 on day 1; 12,000 on day 2; 8,000 on day 3. The ADT is calculated thus: 10,000+12,000+8,000=30,000/3 days=10,000 vehicles (on average) per day.

ALOP

Annual Listing of Obligated Projects: A status report on transportation projects for which funding was obligated in previous years.

APO

Saint Cloud Area Planning Organization: The organization designated by agreement between the Governor, local unit of government, and relevant agencies as being responsible for carrying out the terms of 23 USC Sec. 134. The APO is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Saint Cloud urban area.

ATAC

Active Transportation Advisory Committee: A sub-committee of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) which focuses on the identifying and addressing the needs of active transportation modes such as bicycling and walking.

ATP

Area Transportation Partnership: These committees of local governments, relevant agencies, and MnDOT staff were created by MnDOT to enhance regional intergovernmental planning and increase cooperative development of the four-year State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

CPG

Consolidated Planning Grant: A combination of planning grant funds from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

CSAH

County State Aid Highway: A roadway that is operated and maintained by a county but for which the county receives state aid funding. Generally, the state views these roadways as key facilities for statewide or regional mobility.

FHWA

Federal Highway Administration: The Federal administration responsible for monitoring and facilitating the construction and maintenance of the National Highway System. The APO is a recipient of an annual planning grant from FHWA.

FTA

Federal Transit Administration: The Federal administration responsible for monitoring and facilitating the operations and capital improvement of public transit providers. The APO is a recipient of an annual planning grant from FTA.

GIS

Geographic Information Systems: A framework for gathering, managing, and analyzing spatially-related data. For example, GIS can be used to map crash reports in order to determine which roadway intersections are experiencing the highest crash rates.

IIJA

The Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (public law 117-58) signed into law on Nov. 15, 2021. Part of the law establishes federal funding authorizations for surface transportation for the years 2022-2026.

MnDOT

Minnesota Department of Transportation: The State department with which the APO coordinates on transportation issues and which has oversight responsibilities for ensuring the APO complies with applicable Federal and State requirements.

MPA

Metropolitan Planning Area: The geographic area in which the APO carries out its planning activities. The MPA must include at least the US Census-defined urban area, but may also include any additional urban or urbanizing areas and/or commuter travel-sheds as deemed appropriate by the member jurisdictions of the APO.

MPCA

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: The State agency responsible for monitoring environmental quality and enforcing environmental regulations in Minnesota.

MPO

Metropolitan Planning Organization: An organization designated by agreement between the Governor of a state, units of local governments of an urban area, and relevant agencies as being responsible for carrying out the terms of 23 USC Sec. 134. Any urban area of more than 50,000 people must have an MPO. As of 2015, there were 408 MPOs in the United States. The Saint Cloud APO is the MPO for the Saint Cloud metropolitan area.

MTP

Metropolitan Transportation Plan: The regional transportation plan with at least a 20 year planning horizon, developed cooperatively between the units of government and relevant agencies which are members of the APO.

RFP

Request for Proposals: This is a document used to procure consultant services. The RFP outlines the goals and objectives of a project or study and provides a not-to-exceed budget. Interested consultants then respond by writing and submitting a proposal to provide the required services.

SEP

Stakeholder Engagement Plan: The document that identifies when and how the APO will engage the public during the planning process. In Federal regulations, this document is called the "Public Participation Plan." The APO's SEP also includes our Title VI and Limited English Proficiency Plan.

SRTS

Safe Routes to School: A national initiative that works to make it safe, convenient, and fun for students to walk and bike to and from school.

STBGP

Surface Transportation Block Grant Program: Flexible funding from the Federal Government that may be used by states and localities for projects to preserve and improve the conditions and performance on any Federal-aid highway, bridge or tunnel project on any public road, pedestrian or bicycle infrastructure, and transit capital purchases, including intercity bus terminals.

TA

Transportation Alternatives: Funding from the Federal Government that may be used by state and localities for projects including, but not limited to, the creation of facilities for pedestrians and bicycles, environmental mitigation or habitat protection related to highway construction or operations, as well as infrastructure and non-infrastructure related to Safe Routes to School (SRTS) activities.

TAC

Technical Advisory Committee: The TAC is a committee of planners and engineers representing the local member governments and relevant agencies which is responsible for providing technical advice and guidance to the Policy Board and APO staff.

TAZ

Traffic Analysis Zone: A geographic area used in the Travel Demand Model (TDM). TAZs are assigned socio-economic attributes such as population, number of households, square feet of commercial space, and other data relevant to trip production or attraction.

TH

Trunk Highway: A major roadway connecting two or more cities that is operated and maintained by the State Department of Transportation and is the recommended or preferred route for long-distance and freight trips. In Minnesota, Trunk Highways are numbered, such as TH-15 or TH-23 and they may also be designated as MN-15 or MN-23.

TDM

Travel Demand Model: A computer model used to forecast traffic and traffic congestion under a variety of land use and roadway network conditions.

TPMR

Transportation Performance Monitoring Report: An annual report on how the transportation networks are functioning relative to the APO's adopted performance measures. The TPMR is a product of the APO's Transportation System Performance Monitoring (TSPM) program.

TIP

Transportation Improvement Program: The document that programs Federal funding for surface transportation projects within the MPA.

TSPM

Transportation System Performance Monitoring: An APO program in which staff collect and analyze transportation performance data in order to discover problem areas and help prioritize the programming of transportation improvement projects. The Transportation Performance Monitoring Report (TPMR) is a product of the TSPM.

UPWP

Unified Planning Work Program: A Federally required statement of work identifying the planning priorities and activities to be carried out by the APO staff. The UPWP includes the APO's annual budget and it identifies any special studies and consultant contracts for the fiscal year.

CURRENT UPWP   //  Traffic Management Study

Traffic Management Study

Efficient traffic management is essential to ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods throughout the transportation network. As travel demand continues to grow, many roadways within the APO planning area are experiencing recurring congestion, unreliable travel times, and safety challenges. Given the expense of building new roadway capacity, it is critical that APO jurisdictions maximize the efficiency of the capacity they already have. In this context, optimizing the performance of existing transportation infrastructure through improved traffic management strategies has become a critical priority.

Over the past several years, advances in intelligent transportation systems (ITS), traffic signal technologies, detection systems, and communications networks have created new opportunities to enhance traffic flow and system efficiency. However, to fully leverage these tools, a comprehensive understanding of the current traffic management environment is required. This includes an evaluation of existing infrastructure, operational practices, and institutional frameworks to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.

The APO is seeking proposals from qualified firms to conduct a comprehensive regional Traffic Management Study for the arterial and collector roadways within its planning area. The study will provide a detailed assessment of the current state of traffic management systems, operations, and capabilities, and will identify a set of actionable strategies to enhance system efficiency and performance. The intent is to improve mobility, reliability, and safety on existing roadways by maximizing the effectiveness of existing capacity, rather than through major capacity expansions.

The study will involve four primary tasks:

  1. Data Collection and Inventory of Existing Conditions: Compile and document current traffic management infrastructure and systems for collector and arterial roadways within the APO’s urban area, including traffic signals, ITS elements, detection and monitoring systems, communications networks, and control centers. Collect and analyze relevant operational data such as traffic volumes, speeds, travel times, and crash data.
  2. Coordination and Communication: Coordinate and communicate with agencies and stakeholders involved in traffic management in the region
  3. Evaluation of Existing Conditions and System Performance: Assess the operational performance, technological capabilities, and institutional arrangements associated with current traffic management systems. Identify gaps, deficiencies, and opportunities for modernization, integration, and improved coordination.
  4. Development of Recommendations: Develop a set of short-term (0-4 years) and long-term (5-10 years) recommendations for improving traffic management operations, system integration, and performance. Recommendations should prioritize strategies that can be implemented cost-effectively to improve traffic flow, safety, and reliability within existing infrastructure constraints.

Goals

The goals of this effort are to enhance the efficiency of the roadway network by better utilizing existing roadway capacity by:

  1. Developing recommendations for improving traffic flow and reducing delay through optimized operations and traffic management.
  2. Identifying cost-effective upgrades and enhancements to traffic management technologies and systems.
  3. Identifying ways to strengthen coordination among agencies and stakeholders involved in traffic management.
  4. Providing a clear roadmap for short-term improvement and a long-term vision for traffic management modernization.

Deliverable(s)

The final deliverables of this effort will be:

  1. A comprehensive inventory and database of existing traffic management assets and systems
  2. An assessment report summarizing current operational performance and institutional conditions
  3. A gap analysis identifying deficiencies, needs, and opportunities
  4. A prioritized set of recommendations with implementation timelines and cost estimates
  5. A final report and presentation summarizing findings, strategies, and recommended actions.

Budget and Timeline

The total project budget is $117,000. Federal funding assistance provided by the Federal Highway Administration for this project is expected to be $89,601 (CFDA 20.205). The budget includes $27,399 local funds. Consultants should consider $117,000 to be the maximum amount for the corridor study.

It is anticipated that work described in this RFP will begin on or about February 9, 2026, and be completed by no later than December 31, 2026. (See Evaluation and Contracting Timeline starting on page 7).

Download Request for Proposals

Q & A

No questions about this Request for Proposals (RFP) were received.

The due date for proposals is noon (Central time) on Dec. 19, 2025.