SWLRT Municipal Consent Hearing Moved to May 29

The joint Met Council and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority public hearing has been rescheduled to May 29 at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis at 6PM

Here is the news advisory regarding the rescheduled joint Met Council and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority public hearing. 

Metropolitan Council/Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority hearing on municipal consent moved to May 29

(St. Louis Park, MN) – Today, the Metropolitan Council announced that the joint public hearing with the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority will occur May 29 at the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis at 6PM. An open house will be held on the Public Service Level of the Hennepin County Government Center beginning at 5PM. The previously announced May 12th hearing will not take place.

The hearing was rescheduled to May 29 due to the need to correct information in the Minneapolis portion of municipal consent plans. Municipal consent plans, which are available on the Council’s website at www.swlrt.org and at numerous city halls and libraries along the corridor, were updated by Council staff on April 22 to ensure every set contains corrected information.

What is municipal consent?

In the municipal consent process, the Metropolitan Council will be seeking approval from the county and the line’s five host cities on preliminary design plans: http://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Current-Projects/Southwest-LRT/Municipal-Consent/Plan-Documents.aspx to build the LRT line in their jurisdictions. The preliminary design plans show the footprint of the LRT line and its physical design components. Further engineering in 2014 and 2015 will provide greater details, such as station elements and landscaping features.

The preliminary design plans will show the Southwest LRT line with adjustments as approved by the Met Council. Details include:

—Location of the 15.8-mile line and the 16 stations, down from the original 17 stations with the elimination of the 21st Street Station in Minneapolis. The plans will retain Mitchell Road Station as the line’s westernmost station.
—Location of LRT tracks primarily at ground level with several bridges and tunnels including running underground for approximately a mile in two shallow tunnels in the Kenilworth Corridor in Minneapolis.
—General dimensions, elevations and alignment of the LRT route and crossings.
—Location of the operations and maintenance facility in Hopkins.

More information about the municipal consent process is available at www.swlrt.org.

About the Project:

The Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project (Green Line Extension) will operate from downtown Minneapolis through the communities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, passing in close proximity to the city of Edina.  The proposed alignment is primarily at-grade and includes 16 new stations and about 15.8-miles of double track. The line will connect major activity centers in the region including downtown Minneapolis, the Opus/Golden Triangle employment area in Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, the Eden Prairie Center Mall, and the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. Ridership in 2030 is projected at 29,660 weekday passengers.  The project will interline with the METRO Green Line (Central Corridor LRT), which will provide a one-seat ride to destinations such as the University of Minnesota, state Capitol and downtown St. Paul.  It will be part of an integrated system of transitways, including connections to the METRO Blue Line, the Northstar Commuter Rail line, a variety of major bus routes along the alignment, and proposed future transitway and rail lines.  The Metropolitan Council will be the grantee of federal funds. The regional government agency is charged with building the line in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Southwest Corridor Management Committee, which includes commissioners from Hennepin County and the mayors of Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, provides advice and oversight. Funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), state of Minnesota and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA). The Southwest LRT Project website is www.swlrt.org.