This page last updated Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:12 PM
Latest Central Corridor Newsletter Available
The Metropolitan Council has published the August edition of its Making Tracks newsletter, with the latest news about the Central Corridor. Click here for a downloadable PDF of the newsletter.
Red Rock Corridor Committee to Meet
The Red Rock Corridor Committee will meet on Aug. 28 in Cottage Grove. Click here for the agenda. The Red Rock Corridor is a 30-mile transportation corridor from Hastings traveling through downtown St. Paul and on to downtown Minneapolis. The corridor is roughly parallel to Highway 61 and Interstate 94.
Click here for a map of the corridor
Click here for the latest project fact sheet
Click here for the project’s web site
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in council chambers on the third floor of the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Post Office Partnership Meeting Postponed
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Aug. 18 Post Office Partnership meeting has been postponed until Sept. 29 at 1:30pm at the Dakota County Northern Service Center. The Post Office Partnership is a group helping to plan the move of the U.S. Postal Service from Minnesota's Union Depot in St. Paul to an expanded mail-sorting facility in Eagan. It is made up of representatives of Ramsey and Dakota counties, the cities of Eagan and St. Paul, state and federal offices, as well as the Postal Service. The meeting agenda will be posted here the week before the meeeting.
Post Office Partnership to Meet
The Post Office Partnership will meet August 18, 2008, at the Dakota County Northern Service Center, One Mendota Road, West St. Paul, MN 55118 (click here for a map to the meeting. Or, click here for transit routes serving the meeting site). The Post Office Partnership is a group helping to plan the move of the U.S. Postal Service from Minnesota's Union Depot in St. Paul to an expanded mail-sorting facility in Eagan. It is made up of representatives of Ramsey and Dakota counties, the cities of Eagan and St. Paul, state and federal offices, as well as the Postal Service. Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Reminder: SDEIS Hearings Begin Next Week
The Metropolitan Council will hold three public hearings on the Central Corridor LRT Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement next month. After the hearings and a 45-day comment period that will end Aug. 25, the Met Council will take formal action Aug. 27 to revise the preferred alignment from the route identified in the DEIS.
Hearing details:
Aug. 4 — Noon, Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul MAP TRANSIT
Aug. 7 — 6 p.m., Brian Coyle Center, 420 15th Ave. S., Minneapolis. MAP TRANSIT
Aug. 9 — 2 p.m., Goodwill/Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul. MAP TRANSIT
For more information, see the item below.
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in council chambers on the third floor of the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Red Rock Meeting Cancelled
The Red Rock Corridor Commission has cancelled its July 31 meeting. The next Commission meeting will be held on August 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the Cottage Grove City Hall. An agenda will be posted here a week before the meeting. The Red Rock Corridor is a 30-mile transportation corridor from Hastings traveling through downtown St. Paul and on to downtown Minneapolis. The corridor is roughly parallel to Highway 61 and Interstate 94. For more information, contact Mike Rogers at (651) 430-4338 or by e-mail.
Click here for a map of the corridor
Click here for the latest project fact sheet
Click here for the project’s web site
Latest Central Corridor Newsletter Available
The Metropolitan Council has published the July edition of its Making Tracks newsletter, with the latest news about the Central Corridor. Click here for a downloadable PDF of the newsletter.
Central Corridor Supplemental DEIS Hearings Set
The Metropolitan Council will hold three public hearings on the Central Corridor LRT Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement next month. After the hearings and a 45-day comment period that will end Aug. 25, the Met Council will take formal action Aug. 27 to revise the preferred alignment from the route identified in the DEIS.
Hearing details:
Aug. 4 — Noon, Wilder Foundation, 451 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul MAP TRANSIT
Aug. 7 — 6 p.m., Brian Coyle Center, 420 15th Ave. S., Minneapolis. MAP TRANSIT
Aug. 9 — 2 p.m., Goodwill/Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul. MAP TRANSIT
An electronic copy of the SDEIS is available in a PDF format at www.centralcorridor.org under Hot Topics where more information can be found on how to comment and where to view printed copies of the SDEIS. Print copies of the Supplemental DEIS are available for public inspection at the following locations:
Met Council Robert Street Library, 390 N. Robert St., St. Paul, MN 55101. MAP TRANSIT
Central Corridor Project Office, 540 Fairview Avenue N., Ste. 200, St. Paul, MN 55104. MAP TRANSIT
Mn/DOT Library, Transportation Building, 395 John Ireland Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. MAP TRANSIT
Central Corridor Resource Center, 1080 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55104. MAP TRANSIT
Rondo Community Library, 461 N. Dale, St. Paul, MN 55102. MAP TRANSIT
St. Paul Central Library, 90 W. 4th St., St. Paul, MN 55102. MAP TRANSIT
St. Anthony Park Branch Library, 2245 W. Como Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108. MAP TRANSIT
Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104. MAP TRANSIT
Rice Street Library, 1011 Rice St., St. Paul, MN 55117. MAP TRANSIT
Hamline-Midway Library, 1558 W. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104. MAP TRANSIT
Franklin Library, 1314 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404. MAP TRANSIT
Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401. MAP TRANSIT
Southeast Library, 1222 4th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. MAP TRANSIT
To read the SDEIS notice of availability, as published in the July 11 Federal Register, click here.
To read the SDEIS notice of availability, as published in the July 11 Minnesota EQB Monitor, click here.
Consistent with FTA guidance, a legal notice was published in three local newspapers of record on Friday, July 11, to coincide with Federal Register notification. The legal notice appeared in the Pioneer Press, the Star Tribune and Finance and Commerce. The Supplemental DEIS in its entirety was sent to approximately 175 individuals, including local county and city elected officials as well as state and federal senators and representatives. A one-page Notice of Availability, identical to the legal notice attached, was sent via US mail or e-mail to approximately 700 individuals who had either commented on the 2006 DEIS, the February 25, 2008 Notice of Intent to publish the Supplemental DEIS, or had expressed interest in receiving this information.
Ramsey County Approves Preliminary Design Plans
The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project at its June 24 meeting. The board acted after a monthlong public comment period that included five public hearings in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. Click here for the "municipal consent" resolution approved June 24. To read the Public Comment Record published by Ramsey County, click here.
Rush Line Corridor Meeting Location Change
The July 17th Rush Line Corridor Task Force meeting will again be held at the Washington County Headwaters Service Center in Forest Lake, located at 19955 Forest Road North. The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. Note: This location is a change from the usual Task Force meeting location. Click here for a map of the meeting location. The meeting agenda will be posted on this page and on the project Web site a week before the meeting.
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, June 24, in council chambers on the third floor of the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Red Rock Corridor Committee to Meet
The Red Rock Corridor Committee will meet on June 26 in Cottage Grove. Click here for the agenda. The Red Rock Corridor is a 30-mile transportation corridor from Hastings traveling through downtown St. Paul and on to downtown Minneapolis. The corridor is roughly parallel to Highway 61 and Interstate 94.
Click here for a map of the corridor
Click here for the latest project fact sheet
Click here for the project’s web site
Rush Line Corridor Special Meeting Agenda
UPDATE The Rush Line Corridor Task Force has scheduled a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. June 19 at the Headwaters Service Center of Washington County and Forest Lake, 19955 Forest Road North, Forest Lake. Note: This location is a change from the usual Task Force meeting location. Click here for a map of the meeting location. Click here for the meeting agenda.
Rush Line Corridor Special Meeting
The Rush Line Corridor Task Force has scheduled a special meeting at 3:30 p.m. June 19 at the Headwaters Service Center of Washington County and Forest Lake, 19955 Forest Road North, Forest Lake. Note: This location is a change from the usual Task Force meeting location. Click here for a map of the meeting location. A meeting agenda will be posted here a week before the meeting.
Public Hearing Reminder
The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners will host a public hearing Thursday on preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line. The hearing will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. June 5 at Lao Family Community, 320 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN. The first hour would be an open house with the formal hearing beginning at 5 p.m. Residents, organizations and businesses may speak at the hearing, or, if they would rather, they may submit written testimony on comment cards provided at the hearing. For a map to Lao Family Community, click here. For information about transit routes serving the hearing site, click here.
For a list of sites to view copies of the preliminary plans, click here
For a PDF of the plans and composite maps of the corridor, click here (Note: These are large files)
For the latest edition of the Met Council’s Central Corridor newsletter, click here
Three additional ways to comment on plans
NOTE: Ramsey County will accept comments on the preliminary design plans until 4 p.m. June 12. The Ramsey County Board is expected to vote on the plans at its June 24 meeting.
To submit a comment on the plans by email, click here
To leave comments by telephone, call (651) 266-2776. NOTE: This phone line accepts recorded messages and is not staffed. To speak with someone about the project at Ramsey County Regional Rail during business hours, please call (651) 266-2760.
To submit by mail, address your comments to:
Art Coulson
Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority
RCGC-West, Suite 6560
50 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55124
Central Corridor Public Art Update
The Metropolitan Council is seeking up to five artists with expertise in creating integrated, outdoor public art for the design, fabrication and installation of art along the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis. Artists must have experience in engaging the community, have knowledge of the community and explain how their work will be inclusive of and responsive to local culture and identity. Artists will develop a plan for how they will engage the community in the art process for each station. The station art budget is $3.7 million. The deadline for artists to submit their qualifications is 2 p.m. July 8.
For more information on the Request for Qualifications for artists, click here
To read the latest "Making Tracks" project newsletter, click here
Community Meeting with Met Council Chair Peter Bell
The Metropolitan Council will host a community meeting with Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the St. Paul community to share concerns and issues related to the Central Corridor light rail project on University Avenue and in Downtown St. Paul. Bell will start the meeting with a brief project update and then open it up for questions and comments.
Click here for more information about the meeting.
Click here for a map to the meeting location.
Click here for transit options.
Preliminary Design Maps Now Available
The Metropolitan Council has posted composite maps of the preliminary design plans for Central Corridor light rail on the project web site. Click here to see the plans and composite maps. Copies of the maps will also be available for public inspection at public libraries along the corridor.
Rush Line Task Force to meet
The Rush Line Corridor Task Force will meet at 3:30 p.m. May 29 at White Bear Lake City Hall, 4701 Highway 61 North. Click here for the agenda.
Red Rock Corridor Commission Meeting Canceled
The May 29 Red Rock Corridor Commission meeting has been canceled. The next Commission meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. June 26 at Cottage Grove City Hall. If you have any questions, contact Mike Rogers at (651) 430-4338 or click here to send him an e-mail.
LOCATE Meeting Rescheduled
The LOCATE Task Force has rescheduled its next meeting. The task force will next meet on Aug. 18 at 9 a.m. at the Association of Minnesota Counties, 125 Charles Ave., St. Paul (Click here for a map. Click here for transit serving the meeting site). In 2002, the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority formed the LOCATE Task Force, made up of business and civic leaders, to identify a site for a potential multimodal transit center in downtown St. Paul. The group evaluated locations for the transit center, selecting Minnesota's Union Depot. The Task Force continues to advise the Rail Authority on the purchase and development of the Union Depot.
Latest Robert Street Corridor Newsletter
The Robert Street Corridor steering committee has published an updated project newsletter, including information about the recently completed transit study in the corridor, as well as details of the May 29 public meeting.
To read the newsletter, click here
Click here for the latest project fact sheet in English. Para el español, hacer clic aquí
Click here for public meeting details
Para el español, hacer clic aquí
Click here for a map to the May 29 meeting
Click here for transit route information
Click here for a map of the corridor
Citizens' Guide to Central Corridor Plans
The Metropolitan Council has published a Citizens' Guide to the Preliminary Design Plans for Central Corridor Light Rail Transit. The Guide, available here, includes locations where the plans are available for public inspection, as well as a guide to reading the plans and filling out comment forms. Click here for PDF versions of the plans (Note: These are LARGE files).
Post Office Partnership meeting cancelled
The May 19, 2008, Post Office Partnership meeting has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled meeting is August 18, 2008, at the Dakota County Northern Service Center, One Mendota Road, West St. Paul, MN 55118 (click here for a map to the meeting. Or, click here for transit routes serving the meeting site). The Post Office Partnership is a group helping to plan the move of the U.S. Postal Service from Minnesota's Union Depot in St. Paul to an expanded mail-sorting facility in Eagan. It is made up of representatives of Ramsey and Dakota counties, the cities of Eagan and St. Paul, state and federal offices, as well as the Postal Service.
Robert Street Study to be Topic of Open House
Dakota County will host an open house May 29 to discuss the results of a 14-month feasibility study, conducted in conjunction with Ramsey County, of transit options in the Robert Street Corridor linking St. Paul’s Union Depot to Rosemount. The open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m., with formal presentations at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m., at the Dakota County Northern Service Center, 1 Mendota Road, West St. Paul.
Click here for more information about the study and open house
Para el español, hacer clic aquí
Click here for a map of the open house site
Click here for transit routes serving the open house site
Click here for the project Web site
Click here for the latest project newsletter
Central Corridor Public Comment Line Added
Ramsey County is receiving public comment on preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line. Two public hearings will be held; comments may also be submitted by mail and e-mail (see news item below for details). For residents, organizations and businesses that would prefer to leave comments by telephone, Ramsey County has established a phone-in comment line. To leave your comment by telephone, call (651) 266-2776. NOTE: This phone line accepts recorded messages and is not staffed. To speak with someone about the project at Ramsey County Regional Rail during business hours, please call (651) 266-2760. Public comments will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. June 12. The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners will vote on the preliminary design plans on June 24.
Attention University Avenue Business Owners
The Metropolitan Council and Central Corridor Partnership are seeking your input to help project engineers design the Central Corridor LRT line and University and Washington Avenues and develop construction and business mitigation programs. For more information, click here. To complete a survey on business concerns and issues, click here.
Ramsey County Sets Pair of Central Corridor Hearings
The Ramsey County Board and Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority have set a pair of public hearings to take testimony on preliminary design plans for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line.
NOTE: Ramsey County will accept comments on the preliminary design plans through the close of business June 12. The Ramsey County Board is expected to vote on the plans at its June 24 meeting. State law law gives cities and counties 45 days after the MnDOT/Railroad Authority hearing to either approve or disapprove the preliminary design plans. If a local unit of government disapproves the plans, it “shall describe specific amendments to the plans that, if adopted, would cause the local unit to withdraw its disapproval.”
To submit a comment on the plans by email, click here
To submit by mail, address your comments to:
Art Coulson
Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority
RCGC-West, Suite 6560
50 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55124
For a list of sites to view copies of the preliminary plans, click here
For a PDF of the plans, click here (Note: These are large files)
For the latest edition of the Met Council’s Central Corridor newsletter, click here
Central Corridor On-street Parking Update
The Met Council has posted maps of proposed on-street parking availability after construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line on University Avenue. Changes to preliminary plans to better accommodate pedestrian safety and access to LRT stations have led to substantial parking reductions along University Avenue. Click here to see the parking maps.
The Met Council and Model Cities will host a Parking Impacts Public Meeting on Tuesday, May 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Model Cities, Brownstone Conference Room, at 849 University Ave., St. Paul.
Click here for a map to the meeting site
Click here for information on transit routes serving the site
For more information about the meeting, click here
Central Corridor Management Committee Update
The CCMC, made up of local elected officials, state leaders and representatives of other community stakeholders, has pushed its May meeting date back a week to May 21 to allow more time to complete a study of alternative routes for the light rail line across the University of Minnesota campus. The CCMC has already voted to build the line at-grade along Washington Avenue, but agreed to allow the University to pay for a study of a northern alignment through Dinkytown. The two routes will be compared by the committee on May 21, looking at such factors as effect on project schedule, cost and ridership projections. Met Council Chairman Peter Bell, who also chairs the CCMC, said he intends to put the two plans up for a vote at that meeting so that the project can stay on schedule and make a required submission to federal transit officials in September. The May 21 meeting will be from noon to 4 p.m. in Met Council Chambers, 390 Robert St. N., St. Paul.
Preliminary Design Plans for Central Corridor
State law requires cities, counties and regional rail authorities to hold public hearings on preliminary engineering plans for the Central Corridor LRT Project. This is known as the municipal consent process. A joint public hearing on Central Corridor Preliminary Design Plans with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Ramsey County Regional Rail and Hennepin County Regional Rail will be held May 29. Click here for details. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and Ramsey and Hennepin counties will also hold hearings on the plans over the next several weeks. All the hearings will focus on preliminary design plans for stations, tracks and electrical systems. These documents are available for public review. Click here for a list of sites where the plans are available for inspection. When the other hearing dates are set, they will be posted under Meetings at the Met Council's Central Corridor project site. For more information, click here to read the latest issue of the Making Tracks newsletter.
Regional Rail Sets Central Corridor Public Hearing
UPDATED: The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority has set a joint public hearing on Central Corridor Preliminary Design Plans with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Hennepin County Regional Rail public hearing for 4 to 7 p.m. May 29 at Goodwill Industries, 553 Fairview Ave. N., St. Paul. The first hour would be an open house with the hearing beginning at 5 p.m.
Click here for a copy of the public meeting notice
Click here for a map to Goodwill Industries
Click here for transit routes serving the site
State law (473.3994) provides a local approval process for light rail transit preliminary design plans that requires several public hearings by different agencies. Preliminary design plans are defined as general dimensions and location of the alignment including approximate station locations and a plan for disability access. At least 30 days after preliminary design plans are submitted to the cities and counties along an alignment, MnDOT and the railroad authorities are required to have a public hearing on the plans. Plans are expected to be submitted to the cities and counties by April 28.
The law gives cities and counties 45 days after the MnDOT/Railroad Authority hearing to either approve or disapprove the preliminary design plans. If a local unit of government disapproves the plans, it “shall describe specific amendments to the plans that, if adopted, would cause the local unit to withdraw its disapproval.” If no action is taken within the 45 days, the plans are considered approved unless an extension is agreed to. If the requested changes are not made, there is a 90 day hearing and mediation process, with the Metropolitan Council making the final decision. If changes are made during final design, the changed elements go through the same hearing and approval process.
A second hearing will be scheduled by the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners in June to receive public comments on the plans. The City of Saint Paul will hold a hearing on the plans as will Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis.
Municipal Consent Process and Other News
State law requires cities, counties and regional rail authorities to hold public hearings on preliminary engineering plans for the Central Corridor LRT Project. This is known as the municipal consent process. All the hearings will focus on preliminary design plans for stations, tracks and electrical systems. These documents will be available for public review by May 1 in St. Paul at the Metropolitan Council’s Robert Street library, the Central Corridor Project Office, Hamline-Midway Library, Merriam Park Library, Rice Street Library, Rondo Community Library, St. Paul Central Library and St. Anthony Park Branch Library and in Minneapolis at the Franklin Library, Minneapolis Central Library and Southeast. An electronic copy will be available at the Met Council's Central Corridor Web site. As hearing dates are set, they will be posted under Meetings at www.centralcorridor.org. For more information, see the latest issue of the Making Tracks newsletter by clicking here.
Regional Rail Supports Northeast Diagonal
The Ramsey County Rail Authority authorized the chairs of the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority and the Ramsey County Board to sign a joint letter to the Metropolitan Council requesting the Northeast Diagonal Transitway be included in the council’s Transportation Policy Plan and 2030 Transit Master Study, currently being updated.
The Northeast Diagonal Transitway begins in White Bear Lake and travels through White Bear Township, Gem Lake, Vadnais Heights, Little Canada, Shoreview, Roseville, St. Anthony and terminates in downtown Minneapolis (click here for a map).
This corridor was studied in 2000 and 2001 by Ramsey and Hennepin Counties as well as the cities as a transit corridor, and was added to the Transportation Policy Plan. When the Transportation Policy Plan was updated in 2004, the Northeast Diagonal was not included in the plan.
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, April 22, in council chambers on the third floor of the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Rush Line Task Force to meet
The Rush Line Corridor Task Force will meet at 4 p.m. April 24 at White Bear Lake City Hall, 4701 Highway 61 North (Note change in start time). Click here for the agenda.
Regional Rail Joins GreenGatherings Partnership
Ramsey County, the City of Saint Paul, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Region 5 have joined with business, environmental advocacy and civic groups to form a partnership to shape the greening of events, large and small, in the Ramsey County and Saint Paul area, beginning with the 2008 Republican National Convention. GreenGatherings has compiled a variety of resources, including best practices nationally, to help groups "green" their next event, from small meetings to large festivals. The GreenGatherings Project is working on seven key focus areas: Construction and outdoor environment; food; lodging; resource and energy use; rivers and water; travel and transportation; and waste management. To learn more about GreenGatherings, click here. A link to the GreenGatherings site has also been added to Regional Rail web pages.
Red Rock Corridor Commission Meeting Canceled
The April 24 Red Rock Corridor Commission meeting has been canceled. The next Commission meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. May 29 at Cottage Grove City Hall. If you have any questions, contact Mike Rogers at (651) 430-4338 or click here to send him an e-mail.
Active Living Ramsey County
Regional Rail is partnering with other county departments, local elected officials and representatives of community organizations in the Active Living Ramsey County initiative, which was created to promote environments that make it safe and convenient for people to be more physically active. Active Living Ramsey County works to bring about and sustain changes in design, transportation, and public/private policies to cultivate and integrate physical activity into daily lives. The Active Living Ramsey County initiative was developed in spring 2005, with the support of community and business leaders, health plans, city, county and school officials, and residents of all walks of life. To learn more about Active Living Ramsey County, click here. A link to the initiative’s web site has also been added to Regional Rail’s web site.
SDEIS Comments Compiled and Available
All comments received on the scope of the Central Corridor Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement have been collected, along with a summary of comments received, and are available online for your review. Click here for a downloadable PDF file. The SDEIS will focus on potential changes to the locally preferred alternative based on comments received in response to the initial DEIS and subsequent preliminary engineering. The Supplemental DEIS will evaluate the following key project elements: the Hiawatha LRT and Central Corridor connection in the city of Minneapolis; University of Minnesota East Bank alignment (tunnel vs. at-grade and stations); potential stations at Hamline Avenue, Western Avenue or Victoria Street in St. Paul; alignment and stations in the Capitol Area; downtown St. Paul alignment and station modifications; requirements for 3-car train operations; the general locations of traction power substations; potential locations for a Central Corridor light-rail vehicle maintenance facility; Washington Avenue Bridge improvements; and other key project elements determined through the on-going decision-making process to have potential significant impacts to human and natural environments. A June 2008 publication of the SDEIS is anticipated.
Central Corridor On-Street Parking Meetings Scheduled
The Met Council and its project partners will host a series of community meetings to discuss planned changes to on-street parking along University Avenue as a result of the Central Corridor LRT project. The first meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. April 16 at Foodsmart/Lucky Market, 554 University Ave., St. Paul. At the meeting, co-sponsored by the Hmong Chamber of Commerce and Hmong Business Association, information will be available in Hmong and English. For more information, call Shoua Lee at (651) 602-1014 or click here for a flyer in Hmong and English. Click here for a list of upcoming public meetings on the Central Corridor.
LOCATE Meeting Canceled
The April 21 LOCATE Task Force meeting has been canceled. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at 9 a.m. May 19 at the Association of Minnesota Counties, 125 Charles Ave., St. Paul. In 2002, the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority formed the LOCATE Task Force, made up of business and civic leaders, to identify a site for a potential multi-modal transit center in downtown St. Paul. The group evaluated locations for the transit center, selecting Minnesota's Union Depot. LOCATE then assessed which transit modes might be suitable for the facility. The Task Force continues to advise the Rail Authority on the purchase and development of the Union Depot.
Parking Changes Contemplated on University Ave.
As project staffers continue planning for the Central Corridor Light Rail Line, they have begun to identify changes to the plans as outlined in the draft environmental impact statement, adopted in spring 2006. A current group of changes under consideration – including pedestrian access and safety improvements at LRT stations -- would eliminate almost 1,000 on-street parking spaces along University Avenue, about 300 more than called for in the DEIS. Community outreach staffers from the Central Corridor Project Office will survey residents and business owners on University Avenue this month for information that will help engineers balance desirable traffic and safety elements with on-street parking. To read more about the project, click here for a copy of the Met Council’s latest Making Tracks newsletter. For more information, contact the Met Council’s community outreach staff at (651) 602-1645 or by email.
SDEIS Comment Period Deadline Clarified
Notices advertising a public comment period for the proposed scope of a supplemental environmental impact statement for the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line contained two different deadline dates. Met Council officials say they will accept comment through the later date, March 26, 2008.
Comments should be directed to:
Kathryn L. O’Brien, AICP, Project Manager
Central Corridor Project Office
540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-602-1927
E-mail
LOCATE Task Force to Meet
The LOCATE Task Force will meet Monday, March 17, at 9 a.m. at the Association Of Minnesota Counties Main Conference Room, 125 Charles Street, St. Paul. Click here for the agenda (Revised March 5, 2008). In 2002, the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority formed the LOCATE Task Force, made up of business and civic leaders, to identify a site for a potential multi-modal transit center in downtown St. Paul. The group evaluated locations for the transit center, Minnesota's Union Depot, and assessed which transit modes might be suitable for the facility. The Task Force continues to advise the Rail Authority on the purchase and development of the Union Depot.
Central Corridor Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement Planned
The Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Council, the local lead agency, will be preparing a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project. Click here for a copy of the notice of intent to publish an SDEIS as published in the Federal Register. The SDEIS will focus on potential changes to the locally preferred alternative based on comments received in response to the initial DEIS and subsequent preliminary engineering. The Supplemental DEIS will evaluate the following key project elements: the Hiawatha LRT and Central Corridor connection in the city of Minneapolis; University of Minnesota East Bank alignment (tunnel vs. at-grade and stations); potential stations at Hamline Avenue, Western Avenue or Victoria Street in St. Paul; alignment and stations in the Capitol Area; downtown St. Paul alignment and station modifications; requirements for 3-car train operations; the general locations of traction power substations; potential locations for a Central Corridor light-rail vehicle maintenance facility; Washington Avenue Bridge improvements; and other key project elements determined through the on-going decision-making process to have potential significant impacts to human and natural environments. A June 2008 publication of the SDEIS is anticipated. Comments on the proposed scope of the Central Corridor LRT SDEIS are being accepted through March 17, 2008.
Comments should be directed to:
Kathryn L. O’Brien, AICP, Project Manager
Central Corridor Project Office
540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-602-1927
E-mail
All Aboard!
Want to know the best way to get from Point A to Point B using our local transit system? Check out the enhanced version of Metro Transit’s web-based, interactive trip planner.
The trip planner includes both both and light rail routes, as well as walking directions to the closest transit stop and an easy way to find the five closest park-and-ride lots.
Red Wing Passenger Rail Study Completed
Last year, the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority commissioned a study of potential passenger rail service between St. Paul and Red Wing and a possible extension to Minneapolis. At the conclusion of the study, completed by LTK Engineering Services, with the support of SRF Consulting Group, Regional Rail staff made a presentation to the Rail Authority board at its most recent meeting.
To read the study's executive summary, click here.
To read the complete study, click here.
Met Council Moves Central Corridor Forward
The Central Corridor Management Committee and the Met Council voted on Feb. 27 to move the Central Corridor light rail project forward, while deciding several “scoping” issues that had been up to this point unresolved. The council vote largely followed the framework of an agreement reached between the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, city of St. Paul and the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce earlier in the month. The framework of that agreement:
* Maintain the Locally Preferred Alternative alignment through downtown St. Paul to the front of Union Depot, with the addition of the 4th and Cedar Street Diagonal Option (as outlined by project staff). The connection to Union Depot is considered vital by Ramsey County, which is in the middle of a project to renovate the depot into a multimodal transit hub.
* Connect the line to the Fourth Street side of Union Depot in St. Paul and build a light rail maintenance facility on currently held public land that would complement a planned future expansion of the line to the concourse level of the Union Depot.
* Build infrastructure now that creates long-term cost savings and allows additional stations at Hamline, Victoria, and Western to be built at a future date. The CCMC and Met Council Chairman Peter Bell, at the urging of Ramsey County commissioners Rafael Ortega and Toni Carter, agreed to make the addition of at least one of those stations the top project priority should the budget or federal funding rules allow.
The CCMC and council also decided to run the light rail line at grade, rather than in a tunnel, at the University of Minnesota and to work with project partners and the U to figure out a traffic mitigation plan. The council will submit an application to secure federal funding and to enter final design on the $909 million project this fall. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2010, with operation scheduled for 2014.
Post Office Partnership to Meet
The next meeting of the Post Office Partnership is scheduled for Monday, March 10, at 1:30 pm at the Eagan City Hall, Eagan Room, 3830 Pilot Knob Road. Click here for an agenda. The Post Office Partnership is a group helping to plan the move of the U.S. Postal Service from Minnesota's Union Depot in St. Paul to an expanded mail-sorting facility in Eagan. It is made up of representatives of Ramsey and Dakota counties, the cities of Eagan and St. Paul, state and federal offices, as well as the Postal Service.
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 26, in council chambers on the third floor of the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Red Rock Corridor Commission Meeting Canceled
The Feb. 28 meeting of the Red Rock Corridor Commission has been canceled. The next regularly scheduled Commission meeting will be March 27 at the Cottage Grove City Hall. If you have any questions, contact Mike Rogers at 651-430-4338 or by e-mail.
Central Corridor Decisions Approach
Ramsey County, the city of St. Paul, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and other transit supporters announced an agreement on the elements that must be included in the Central Corridor project at a Feb. 12 press conference. The major elements agreed to: 1) Connection to the front (4th street side) of Minnesota's Union Depot, with the infrastructure in place to extend the line to the concourse level in the future. 2) Construction of an LRT maintenance facility on county-owned land east of the depot. 3) Installation of the basic infrastructure to add future light rail stations at Hamline, Victoria and Western. To read more about the upcoming decisions to be made by the Met Council, click here.
LOCATE Task Force Meeting Canceled
The Feb. 11 meeting of the LOCATE Task Force has been canceled.
Regional Rail Authority to Meet
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority board will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in council chambers at the County Court House in St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Speak Out on Central Corridor Project
The Met Council continues to hold meetings and listening sessions to gather input about the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line project. The Met Council has set Feb. 27 as the deadline for making many project scoping decisions, including station number and location, whether to build a tunnel at the University of Minnesota and how the line will connect to the Union Depot transit hub. The Council’s outreach staff has set up an email box to gather comments at centralcorridor@metc.state.mn.us. It has also added a fourth listening session. The meeting will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, from at Goodwill Easter Seals, 553 Fairview Ave. N, St. Paul. A videotape of the first public update meeting has been posted on the Council’s public meetings web page. Click here for the latest list of upcoming meetings.
Robert Street Corridor Committee to Meet
The Robert Street Corridor Transit Feasibility Study Steering Committee will meet at 3 p.m. Feb. 7 in Conference Room 520 of the Dakota County Northern Services Center, 1 Mendota Road West, West St. Paul. Click here for the agenda.
Post Office Partnership Meeting Canceled
The Feb. 11 meeting of the Post Office Partnership has been canceled.
House Committee Tours Depot
The House Capital Investment Committee, chaired by Rep. Alice Hausman, and 100 local elected officials, business representatives and community members attended a tour, dinner and presentation at Minnesota's Union Depot on Jan. 30. Ramsey County commissioners Jim McDonough and Victoria Reinhardt made presentations on the county's requests for s
