Speak up: Central Corridor comments

July 14, 2008

Though the Central Corridor looks like a done deal, many people, especially in St. Paul, remain convinced that it is the wrong solution for transit. St. Paul E-Democracy forum hosts a lively discussion, including judgments ranging from "pretty sound" to "shame!" Among the comments:

"The current routing is slow, eliminates the ability
of the people in the neighborhood to use transit on University Avenue, eliminates parking and will create horrendous traffic jams at key intersections that are already overburdened."

"But one of the most fundamental questions going forward that everyone should be asking is what can we do to make sure the benefits of this investment are realized by the many diverse people often of very modest means who have called the area along Central Corridor home. There are so many potential ways to make sure those benefits are shared widely as we re-imagine the Central Corridor. But making sure the benefits are shared fairly will take creativity, collaboration, and persistence. And in those efforts, we all have a role we can play, if we wish to take it."

With recent changes in the Central Corridor route and plans, a new public comment period has opened.

The Official Word
from Met Council documents
The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project linking downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis via
Washington and University avenues would be the fourth in a planned network of rail and bus ``transitways’’ in
the Twin Cities. Construction would begin in 2010 on the planned 11-mile Central Corridor line, with service
beginning in 2014. The line would connect with the Hiawatha LRT line at the Metrodome station in
Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter rail line, which will begin operation in late 2009, at the new
Downtown Minneapolis multimodal station. The Metropolitan Council would be the grantee of federal funds.
The regional government agency is charged with leading the design and building of the line in partnership with
the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Central Corridor Management Committee, which includes the
mayors of St. Paul and Minneapolis and commissioners from Ramsey and Hennepin counties, provides advice
and oversight. The Central Corridor LRT Project Website is www.centralcorridor.org

Three public hearings in August --
• Monday, August 4, Noon (12:00 p.m.), Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul.
An open house will precede the hearing from 11:30 a.m. to noon
• Thursday, August 7, 6:00 p.m., Brian Coyle Center, 420 15th Avenue S., Minneapolis. An open
house will precede the hearing from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, August 9, 2:00 p.m., Goodwill Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Avenue N., St. Paul. An
open house will precede the hearing from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Also:
• Calling the Central Corridor LRT Project Office and leaving a message on the comment line at
651-602-1645.
• Emailing comments to Kathryn O’Brien at kathryn.obrien@metc.state.mn.us or
• Mailing comments to:
Kathryn O’Brien
Central Corridor LRT Project Office
540 Fairview Avenue N., Ste. 200
St. Paul, MN 55104

Mary Turck

Mary Turck is the editor of the TC Daily Planet.

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Comments

I am one of the citizens of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2008-07-14 18:04.

I am one of the citizens of Saint Paul who believes that the Central Corridor Light Rail Line will be a disaster and a bottomless hole for taxpayer subsidy. After talking with members of the Saint Paul City Council and Ramsey County Board I also believe that the politicians behind this White Elephant could care less what the people effected by the line and the taxpayers who will have to shoulder the burden of subsidizing it's operation think. This is a done deal against all common sense. The only way that I as a lowly citizen have to protest is to actively work against my current Saint Paul City Council person and my current Ramsey County Commissioner when they come up for re-election. And you cam make book that this will occur. I would hope that others who are dismayed by this horrible waste of resources will do the same. When compared against hybrid buses, or even trolley buses, light rail makes no sense in Saint Paul.

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