At special meetings this afternoon, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority approved up to $435 million for early construction activities and other expenditures for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project (SWLRT).
These actions enable the Metropolitan Council to award the construction contract to begin work on the $2.03 billion transit line, which they are expected to do later today.
The county board also approved a commitment, as requested by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), for up to an additional $200.3 million for Southwest LRT, or 10 percent of the total project budget, in the event of funding shortfalls or cost increases, with a parallel commitment for the Bottineau Light Rail Transit project. Continue reading “Hennepin County advances Southwest LRT project with funding approvals”
EXCELSIOR, MN — Congressman-elect Dean Phillips released the following statement today after SouthWest Light Rail received a letter of no prejudice from the Federal Transit Administration that allows the organization to begin soliciting construction contracts:
For too long, Minnesota has sent more money to Washington than has been returned. This is a rare opportunity to correct that course.
I have been, and will continue to be, a vocal advocate for infrastructure investments, including the SouthWest and Bottineau Light Rail lines, for Minnesota’s Third District. The $1 billion investment in SouthWest Light Rail will spur job growth, provide access to employment, and incentivize further economic development in communities along the line. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress, the Minnesota legislature, and the Walz administration to ensure these important projects are completed.
Asking Paulsen to take a position on this is clearly asking too much
The July 26 editorial “Southwest LRT needs friend in GOP” calls on U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen to become a supporter of this rail line, which would largely run through his district. It is also a highly contentious matter.
A couple of months ago, I called Paulsen’s Eden Prairie office and asked his staff person about Paulsen’s position on Southwest LRT. He responded that Paulsen had no position because it was not a federal matter. I responded that this was curious, since a billion dollars of federal money is involved. He reiterated that Paulsen had no position.
Paulsen has obviously been walking a narrow plank because he knows that either pro or con on Southwest LRT will alienate many in his district.
The following column by Sirish Samba was posted on the Sun-Sailor website October 18, 2017:
Sirish Samba is a Minnetonka business owner.
I am convinced that the best opportunities come at the most challenging times.
The year 2008 was not the best year for small business owners. The Minnesota economy, like that in many states, was hit hard by the Great Recession and many companies faced the reality of insecure funding streams.
Our company, Sambatek, was no exception. We were primarily a land development/municipal engineering firm that specialized in designing retail stores, apartment buildings, hotels and municipal infrastructure projects. Our services were not of much use in an economic bust.
But as a civil engineer, I was trained to see the solution that might be hidden to others. And I saw the recession as an opportunity to grow our company in a new direction. We decided to create a new specialty in transportation, including public transportation.
It has been almost 10 years and we have never looked back.
By 2014, we were the 48th fastest growing company in the country, with offices in Minnesota and North Dakota. We could not have become as successful as we have without a devoted staff and, strange as it may seem, sustained public investment in our public transportation systems.
When our government prioritizes public transportation, it not only keeps our systems running, but it spawns job creation in companies all along the supply chain.
Our firm employs 100 professionals in what we often refer to as the “Sambatek family.” Plain and simple, we would not be able to provide sustainable careers for these individuals without local, state and federal investment in public transportation.
Currently, we are working on several projects with Metro Transit including the Blue Line Extension and Southwest LRT projects. Not only do these projects provide jobs for hardworking Minnesotans, but they will spur economic growth in our state once they are completed.
Already, the Southwest LRT corridor has experienced more than $515 million in new development in anticipation of the project’s completion, according to a report by the American Public Transportation Association. Once it’s done, estimates hold that the line will create 16,600 jobs near the new stations and 18,500 jobs in downtown Minneapolis.
The Blue Line Extension corridor’s development has grown from $358 million in spring 2016 to $489 million today. It is estimated that, once completed, the Blue Line Extension’s 11 new stations will mean 4,600 new jobs along the route – a 30-percent growth for the region, not to mention the 20,000 jobs created downtown.
So when the federal government invests in public transportation, it’s doing much more than creating a rail in a vacuum. It is supporting small businesses, creating jobs within the supply chain, and facilitating long-term economic growth and long-term jobs.
When politicians fund public transportation, they are investing in our communities and in economic development.
Both the Southwest and the Blue Line Extension LRT rely on several different funding streams, including federal investment. They are both recipients of Capital Investment Grants (CIG grants), which come from the federal government.
Yet federal allocation for public transportation is far from secure. I am calling on Congressman Erik Paulsen and others to designate vital transportation resources in the federal budget next year.
Our politicians often speak about their focus on job creation and economic growth. They can act on these priorities and create real change in their districts and across the country with designated funding for public transportation.
After all, it is more than just the transit systems that benefit from this investment. Our employees would not have jobs without federal investment in Metro Transit’s system.
It was federal investment in public transportation that set our company on a pathway of growth back in 2008 – and what has kept us successful all these years.
I hope that if our politicians truly care about job creation and supporting small businesses in our country, they will support and fund public transportation.
Has your commute been a lot longer over the past two weeks? Mine, too.
I guess this is what our highway system can handle when few drivers are on vacation. For those of us in the southwest metro, the Crosstown Freeway and Interstate 494 are already beyond capacity during the four hours formerly known as rush hour.
It’s only going to get worse. The anticipated population growth is going to add many more cares in the next 20 years. And if the Republican-controlled Legislature has its way, there will be no fix for the congestion. There will only be more transit users getting on the road. Continue reading “Pay high taxes, get congested roads”
The following commentary by Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison appeared in the April 27, 2017 issue of the Eden Prairie News and other publications in Hennepin County:
As them their plain. You know, the folks who write the editorials and sign the letters. As them, after they stop Southwest Light Rail Transit, how the propose to address Twin Cities transportation needs.
As them how they intend to alter our road system to accommodate the 700,000 new residents who are expected in the region by 2040.
Ask them about their commitment to economic competitiveness, and their proposal to attract young workers who strongly desire transit options or to accommodate older residents who no longer wish to drive. Continue reading “It’s time to move forward on Southwest line”
The following article by Janet Moore was posted on the Star Tribune website April 22, 2017:
In office just three months, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has already received an earful from Minnesota officials about the controversial $1.9 billion light-rail line.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has heard from both sides about the $1.9 billion Southwest light-rail line project.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao has been in office just under three months, and she’s already received an earful from Minnesota legislators about the controversial $1.9 billion Southwest light-rail line. A new salvo in the transit saga was released this week.
On March 17, 84 Minnesota GOP legislators wrote Chao urging her to block $928 million in federal funding for the Southwest LRT project, which would connect downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie. They argued that the line “would recklessly consume scarce transit resources.” Continue reading “War of words over Southwest light-rail transit line grows”
The following article by Brian Bakst was posted on the MPR website March 22, 2017:
Minnesota Republicans want President Trump’s transportation secretary to deny Minnesota almost $900 million in requested funding for the Minneapolis-to-Eden Prairie Southwest Corridor light rail project.
It would upend a project that has been working through stages of approval for almost a decade.
Opponents of what would be the biggest-ever public works project in Minnesota have done everything they could to stop it. They fought Southwest light rail before city government, blocked clearance at the state Capitol and went to court.
