1.3 Relationship to Other Standards & Guidance
The Street Design Guide provides Minneapolis-focused guidance that builds on state and national standards and guidance. The Street Design Guide focuses on information to inform development of a basic street layout. The City’s Standard Specifications and Detail Plates offer much more information to guide detailed design.
The Street Design Guide is not a standard and does not hold the same weight as state or federal standards. Generally, the Street Design Guide is aligned with relevant standards, although there are times when a variance, design exception, or request for experimentation will be required. Common instances when a variance is required are noted in the Street Design Guide.
Important standards include:
- Minnesota Local State Aid Rules, which govern streets on the State-Aid system.
- Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which includes standards for traffic control devices along all roadways in the state.
In the creation of this guide, we have regularly used guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials as well as guidance from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. In some cases, we refer to them or other guides for additional details.
