urbanMSP

We will have to pressure Democrats hard to get them to filibuster New Starts cuts. Schumer is already making rumblings about a shutdown.

Blame Dayton along with the Kenilworth crowd. He's the one who hit the pause button. I'm still optimistic we'll get a FFGA. I'm confident Met Council staff is on top of this.

The latest Corridor Management Committee presentation (https://metrocouncil.org/getdoc/5a99bc4 ... ation.aspx) says the Met Council expects the FFGA "Mid 2017." The federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1 so even if "Mid 2017" means August or September we should be ok, I think.

If this becomes law and we don't get an FFGA in time. Which would really suck after so many years of planning. Then it seems that the funding potentially available to build and operate abrt lines and the Midtown line would skyrocket. I hope SWLRT gets built but if it doesn't then the rate of abrt line construction needs to go up dramatically (should increase anyways but especially if SWLRT doesn't happen).

Also, I would hope the bus service to the Golden Triangle, City West, and Opus station areas can be improved. The job access SWLRT would provide in those areas is one the main reasons I support the line.

I think there's more concern that the Blue Line Extension won't happen if it's cut. I would think SWLRT would be sped up enough to get the agreement in place before the cut to the program, should it happen.

That being said, more money for aBRT would be a not-terrible side effect of losing federal matching dollars.

The latest Corridor Management Committee presentation (https://metrocouncil.org/getdoc/5a99bc4 ... ation.aspx) says the Met Council expects the FFGA "Mid 2017." The federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1 so even if "Mid 2017" means August or September we should be ok, I think.

Now I'm not so sure. I read elsewhere that Met Council submits the application Mid 2017 with a decision expected by December. Oy....

Eighty-four Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao opposing any more federal funding for the project, calling it "counter-productive" to Minnesota's best interests.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/03/2 ... ding-plan/

I called Congresswoman Runbeck to voice my disapproval. This is pretty bad I think.

I called Congresswoman Runbeck to voice my disapproval. This is pretty bad I think.

I really hope nothing comes of it. They are so close to the start of construction. It would be a shame to see all the time and money that has a ready been invested go to waste.

The only thing I'm scratching my head about is why they didn't attempt this first if its for the good of MN to stop the swlrt since because of there earlier attempt to literally different funds to roads seems like a last ditch attempt to direct money elsewhere.

Sort of has to do with the Southwest LRT, but back when the freight reroute was still a real possibility:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 64752.html

Isn't it so great that some Senator from Mound is concerned about how local governments spend money on local transportation projects?
https://www.minnpost.com/community-voic ... transporta

He's a strong proponent of BRT. On the edge of my seat waiting for he unqualified yes vote on the Orange Line.

Kelly Doran like SWLRT: http://www.startribune.com/pitch-to-hal ... 417384793/

A fair amount of vulnerable metro Republicans signed on to the FTA letter. I guess I'm not really understanding their political calculus. These are districts with existing transit service! Do they think that their constituents want them to spite other areas of MSP? Hopefully someone finds an effective way to bash this letter over their heads in time for 2018.

That was an awesome read!

Ignore the quick coloring job, this map shows in red the republicans that sent a letter to Elaine Chao the Secretary of Transportation to block Southwest LRT funding, yellow are republican districts that did not sign the bill, a.k.a. districts that will benefit of transit dollars in the near future. If Metro Transit needs to cut 40% lets start with the red districts. Then when express commuters wonder where their transit service went they can ask their politicians that voted it away.

. If Metro Transit needs to cut 40% lets start with the red districts. Then when express commuters wonder where their transit service went they can ask their politicians that voted it away.

Totally agree.



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This is an honest question, not meant as a middle finger to the outer burbs.

How much of SWLRT (and Bottineau) would the local funding build if we decided to use current alignment/designs/etc? Would the local share get SWLRT to Hopkins? Bottineau to Robbinsdale? Assuming either 1) the FTA just doesn't fund these projects, or 2) Trump's budget, cutting New Starts/TIGER actually goes through - would the Met Council and Friends be willing to build the first half of each line and hope that a future administration starts back up those programs and is willing to fulfill the 50% match to finish the lines?

That's a really good question. The SWLRT local funds are set up. You'd think 50% of the budget would fund 50% of the line but probably not due to overhead, deign cost, etc. That said, there's a gigantic cost in all the EP bridges so "half the project" doesn't really mean "half the distance." We very well might be able to make it out to Hopkins.

Bottineau is harder because I don't think all the local funds are secured. I also imagine a good chunk of that project's budget is spent downtown, but I don't know.

In the worst case, we definitely should organize an effort to push Met Council to build as much of SWLRT as possible using only local funds. There's precedent for the federal government reimbursing costs years later, by counting half the local funds spent on a project toward the local match for another project (like the feds completely funding the rest of SWLRT or matching more on Bottineau). I believe Portland got a deal like that.

That's what I'd like to see happen, personally. I know reaching those suburban campuses at the ends really *does* account for a good bit of the ridership projections, but I can't imagine that SWLRT terminating at Hopkins wouldn't be a massively successful addition for probably a third the cost, given all the bridges and engineering required past Hopkins. A Bottineau line terminating in Robbinsdale would be less successful, but still probably well worth it for half the cost.

Another possible wrench for Bottineau is that the OMF is waaaaay out at the end. Building SWLRT only as far as Hopkins conveniently gets you to that OMF, but Bottineau is out of luck. Unless the Shady Oak OMF is large enough to take care of both half-extensions, but I don't know if the space requirements are that conveniently linear.