The Minnesota Department of Transportation invites the public to comment on the 2016 Statewide Freight System Plan. The public meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Transportation Building in St. Paul, 395 John Ireland Blvd. The meeting will take place in rooms G13-14 on the ground floor.

The public can also review the freight plan and provide feedback online at www.mndot.gov/planning/freightplan/index.html. Deadline to submit comments is June 24.

Private companies and other public entities worked with MnDOT to identify industry and economic trends and freight transportation needs and issues. The freight plan provides a policy framework and strategies for MnDOT and other freight stakeholders to guide improvements to the multimodal freight system, which includes highway, rail, water and air. The new plan also includes a freight action agenda, with 30 strategies to advance freight in the state.

Persons attending Wednesday’s meeting will have the opportunity to prioritize the strategies so MnDOT can identify freight initiatives and projects.

“The freight system helps drive Minnesota’s economy by moving goods within the state and to national and international markets,” said Bill Gardner, director of the Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicles Operations. “Businesses and the communities they operate in rely on a safe, efficient and reliable freight transportation system.”

Between now and 2040, annual freight tonnage in the state is expected to grow significantly and place greater stress on an already-congested system.