Riverview Corridor Streetcar

[mattaudio]

Yeah, I can't imagine there would be a way to do transit on the existing deck. This section can't lose four lanes, not necessarily because of traffic, but because of the tight interchanges at each end.

[MN Fats]

Anyone going to the Open House at SPUD today at 4?

[twincitizen]

Ooo, maybe!

Something to ask planners (or MNDOT) is what the status is of this planned $11MM bridge rehabilitation project: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy5/

While Ramsey County forced Metro Transit to halt the B-line project, does anyone believe for a second they would ask MNDOT to put this bridge rehab on hold?

That bridge is nearing 55 years old and they are looking at doing a deck replacement. The question should be asked if MNDOT should instead start planning replacement, if this project goes forward in the early-2020s. I guess $11MM ain't much, but if the bridge isn't going to fall down in the next 8-10 years, it still seems like a waste of money.

[mattaudio]

Same time as the Citizens League Civic Celebration. I hope they have another open house.

[mattaudio]

The bridge had a major rehab and redeck in the mid 1980s, but the superstructure was left with the original fracture-critical lattice design with two primary girders per span.

[MN Fats]

Same time as the Citizens League Civic Celebration. I hope they have another open house.

There's another one on Thursday Nov 6 from 5:30-7:30 at Nova Classical Academy.

[twincitizen]

Did anyone attend the above meeting(s)? I had planned on it, but the election results last week talked me right out of it. It seemed not worthy of my time, considering how far down the line this corridor could be.

[mattaudio]

If this was low cost enough, isn't there a chance RCRRA and or the city could cover the local component? I see that as highly unlikely, but who knows. I did not attend the meeting due to other commitments.

[talindsay]

If this was low cost enough, isn't there a chance RCRRA and or the city could cover the local component? I see that as highly unlikely, but who knows. I did not attend the meeting due to other commitments.

In 2006 I asked my (DFL) legislator whether, given the governor at the time, the metro counties could just come up with the money to build Central all by themselves, thus getting it built without the governor being involved. He told me that this wasn't reasonable because a statewide asset had to be funded by the state. Two years later the CTIB was formed and the state become nearly irrelevant in the funding of the Green Line.

The point is, of course there's a chance - the Feds don't really care who's making the local match, as long as the regional planning authority is okay with the project and there are firm structures in place to pay for its operation. But barring some real changes in Ramsey County it seems like you're asking the wrong county to suddenly become willing to take that kind of financial hit - or risk. Hennepin is more willing to take a lead role on things like this, and so I think it will wait to rise in the CTIB queue, Hennepin being the real power broker on the CTIB.

[mattaudio]

Does the future of the Riverview Corridor include light rail?
The Riverview Corridor, once in line to be the one of the Twin Cities’ first mass transit routes, isn’t back from the dead quite yet. But the long-studied corridor, which runs from St. Paul’s Union Depot to the airport and Mall of America, is at least showing signs of life.
http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy ... light-rail

[seanrichardryan]

The recent wintery weather has exposed streetcar tracks in the potholes between Davern and the Hwy 5 entrance.

[St. Studebaker]

Is this in jest? Are these tracks on W. 7th?

[mattaudio]

Yes. This happens every year in a few different places. Many of the streetcar tracks were not removed, they were just paved over. And most streets in Mpls and St. Paul have not seen a full reconstruction since the end of the streetcar era.

[David Greene]

Late winter/early spring is one of my favorite times of the year, when the freeze/thaw cycle makes streetcar track pop up in random places.

[BigIdeasGuy]

With the Chamber Orchestra starting to "tune" the Ordway's new concert hall the past few days and the press getting some access to the space Pamela Espeland of Artspcape on MinnPost wrote there is 22 inch thick wall along 5th St to keep the traffic noise out of the Concert Hall. I don't know exactly how loud a passing LRT train is but I would guess it's more quite than passing traffic. So at least that shouldn't be an issue in putting LRT down 5th St.

[IllogicalJake]

Yes. This happens every year in a few different places. Many of the streetcar tracks were not removed, they were just paved over. And most streets in Mpls and St. Paul have not seen a full reconstruction since the end of the streetcar era.

Not just here, was a problem that plagued Indy before I moved as well.

[RailBaronYarr]

This document from March 5 has a good overview of all the previous studies done on the Riverview Corridor, area land use goals/master plans, and a few other goodies.

http://riverviewcorridor.com/wp-content ... -20151.pdf

[grant1simons2]

The recent PAC meeting agenda was PACked with exciting features. They've been going on with their first round of meetings with the public. There was one recently at the 2015 Home improvement fair. Anyone stop by?

http://riverviewcorridor.com/wp-content ... 504092.pdf

[David Greene]

The recent PAC meeting agenda was PACked with exciting features. They've been going on with their first round of meetings with the public. There was one recently at the 2015 Home improvement fair. Anyone stop by?

http://riverviewcorridor.com/wp-content ... 504092.pdf

I talked to them when they were outside the downtown Y. We chatted about Rush Line as well.

[ProspectPete]

Last Sunday I hiked the length of the abandoned RR tracks (Ford Spur) from Eagle St and Shepard Road to the Ford Site.
I encourage everyone who is involved or interested in the decision making process to pack a lunch in a backpack and do the same. Or don't pack any food, just walk 2 blocks to W 7th street and grab something to eat there. I say this because until I was pleasantly surprised just how close W 7th Street was. It seemed to be around 2 blocks on average. Plenty close for those who would consider using transit.
My 2 cents: I hope that this gift wrapped ROW is chosen over the other options currently proposed. If I were a modern day Robert Moses, I think I would design the line as such: It would essentially avoid running on any downtown streets, thus avoiding the traumatic construction phase and increasing the speed. It would leave SPUD Concourse and make a stop at Wabasha or Science Museum, (Vertical connection to the proposed riverview balcony promenade), another stop under the high bridge (again, a smaller vertical connection to Smith Ave & close to United Hospital), a stop at Randolph (Schmidt lofts), another at Otto (Site of the expanding Victoria park community), another one near Crosby business park/ Montreal (several high rises in the area) and finally one at or just south of 7th or at Davern (there is a huge amount of high density housing here). From there.... I don't know what I would do. Off to the Ford site of shoe horn it across 5 to MSP?
Anyhow, my main point is that W 7th is CLOSE to the line. No need to hammer a train / trolley down 7th when you have this wonderful ROW just a stones throw away. C'mon.... we can walk two blocks, can't we?
Again, I encourage those interested to selectively ignore the "Do Not Enter" signs and go for a wonderful 6.3 mile urban hike. Google Maps is wonderful, but nothing beats being down there at eye level.