Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT

[Tyler]

I smell a legal battle.

[NickP]

https://metrocouncil.org/Transportatio ... nsion.aspx

Spring walking tours are available in May for anyone interested

[DanPatchToget]

Yesterday I checked out construction from West Lake to near Royalston. The platform for Bryn Mawr Station and the skyway connecting the station to Penn Avenue are taking shape. Not surprisingly there's already graffiti on the crash-wall, and where there isn't it's just bland and grey concrete, which makes me wonder if they would hire local artists to spruce it up.

[Tyler]

yeah thats a great spot for some murals

[Trademark]

Yesterday I checked out construction from West Lake to near Royalston. The platform for Bryn Mawr Station and the skyway connecting the station to Penn Avenue are taking shape. Not surprisingly there's already graffiti on the crash-wall, and where there isn't it's just bland and grey concrete, which makes me wonder if they would hire local artists to spruce it up.

Considering the political firestorm already surrounding the SWLRT and the current audit taking place, I doubt that adding additional costs for artists would be a wise move.

[Tyler]

lol. take it out of the graffiti cleaning budget.

[BikesOnFilm]

Someone already put art there. Just abandon the broken windows mentality that claims art we spent money on is good but art someone else put there is bad.

[uptownbro]

See if they can host an event like the lynlake street art series. They could make a large mural that reflects downtown and the city vs a bland wall. That or make a green wall as they will never be able to keep it "like new"

[SurlyLHT]

See if they can host an event like the lynlake street art series. They could make a large mural that reflects downtown and the city vs a bland wall. That or make a green wall as they will never be able to keep it "like new"

They need to do some form of public art or mural at 394 and the Cedar Lake trail...it could be an amazing immersive arts experience for trail-goers. Currently, everything is graffiti...it looks like graffiti fell from the sky. The poor historic rail station is also coated. I'll have to take pictures sometime.

[thespeedmccool]

Someone already put art there. Just abandon the broken windows mentality that claims art we spent money on is good but art someone else put there is bad.

Some (maybe even most?) graffiti is good art, but I don't think there's any argument that lazy gang tags or more 'ACAB's are good art or good for the city.

I'd be for just letting some vines cover the wall. Cheaper and attractive.

[BikesOnFilm]

Oh certainly, I wouldn't argue that all graffiti is great art. I'm just being flippant since I'm of the mindset that BNSF has already forced us to waste enough money on that wall and spending any more effort or energy on it is a net waste.

One idea that might be neat - once the construction in the area is finished and we're just waiting on the tunnel, just declare it a temporary 'permission wall' so artists can come by and fill it up while it's safe to do so, with the understanding that once the track opens for revenue service, the legal permission to be there and do art will be revoked.

But since that would be difficult to navigate legally and safely, covering it with vines or plants is also a good option.

[Korh]

I'm pretty sure its next to impossible to stop graffiti on the trail, heck I noticed some new ones on the N cedar lake trail a while ago on a abandoned BNSF switcher(?) and on the trail itself outside the fish guys.

[DanPatchToget]

I'm pretty sure its next to impossible to stop graffiti on the trail, heck I noticed some new ones on the N cedar lake trail a while ago on a abandoned BNSF switcher(?) and on the trail itself outside the fish guys.

Of course we can't stop all graffiti, but in very visible places that a lot of people see (and will see, once Southwest LRT is finally running) why not hire local artists to create something beautiful along the crash-wall? It's either that or a bunch of graffiti that includes certain words people prefer not seeing, especially if they have children with them.

I assume you're referring to the MOW (maintenance-of-way) equipment parked on the stub track just east of Highway 100. I wonder when BNSF will finally get around to moving that thing.

[Korh]

I'm pretty sure its next to impossible to stop graffiti on the trail, heck I noticed some new ones on the N cedar lake trail a while ago on a abandoned BNSF switcher(?) and on the trail itself outside the fish guys.

Of course we can't stop all graffiti, but in very visible places that a lot of people see (and will see, once Southwest LRT is finally running) why not hire local artists to create something beautiful along the crash-wall? It's either that or a bunch of graffiti that includes certain words people prefer not seeing, especially if they have children with them.

I assume you're referring to the MOW (maintenance-of-way) equipment parked on the stub track just east of Highway 100. I wonder when BNSF will finally get around to moving that thing.

Have nothing against murals but its not a hard stop to graffiti, they do seem to prevent some low effort spray painting of naughty words and other stuff you would expect to find in the notebook of 14 year old boy, but it still doesn't stop someone who's really committed enough to spay something
Granted I think most of the graffiti on the trail is low effort so a mural will probably work well enough (is the one by Cedar–Riverside on the blueline still there btw), though I think I might agree with some other member and say a vegetation wall would work better.

And I was talking about the MOW equipment and I swear that bit of track/piece has been abandoned since its been sitting there for years at this point and the track is in pretty bad shape. If the graffiti on it is still there in a few weeks I'll be 100% sure BNSF has no interest in the thing cause who ever sprayed it really dose not like the company.

[MNdible]

Currently, everything is graffiti...it looks like graffiti fell from the sky. The poor historic rail station is also coated. I'll have to take pictures sometime.

Assuming we're talking about the same spot, this isn't actually a historic station, it's a quite recent enclosure for (IIRC) some telecomm equipment.

[twincitizen]

KSTP reports on work in the tunnel area resuming: https://kstp.com/5-investigates/as-work ... eventable/

[thespeedmccool]

"It is still unclear where the state will get an additional $550 million in funding needed..."

I'll stop you right there KSTP. The Green Line Extension is being nearly entirely funded by local and federal dollars, no? Has there been an indication that the state will foot the bill for the overruns?

If not, this is really sloppy on KSTP's part.

[BikesOnFilm]

Unless the intent is to try and make outstate readers/viewers believe they will be on the hook for it, whereas right now they have contributed almost nothing.

[twincitizen]

There were some sloppy/slanted lines from KSTP in the story, but I wouldn't rank that as one of them. At least one Hennepin County Commissioner (Chair Marion Greene IIRC) has explicitly stated that they don't think Hennepin County taxpayers should foot the entire bill for the latest overages, and that the state should also contribute. A FFGA is already signed and committed, so there is no guarantee of additional money from the feds above and beyond what was already agreed to. The County hasn't yet made an explicit request to the state for funding either, so I'll agree it's a bit of a tossup as to whether it's an entirely accurate account by KSTP. KSTP is likely extrapolating that because the Met Council is a body of the state, so it is assumed that state funding is paying for light rail, when that isn't actually true. State funds appropriated by the legislature do pay for ongoing LRT operations (subsidies), but not for initial construction. Even on the central corridor green line project, the state only provided 10% of the capital costs. They haven't even done that for Southwest. The last money appropriated by the legislature for Southwest probably came nearly a decade ago for initial planning/engineering (MNGOP has held either the house or senate since 1/1/2015).

The current/default funding situation is that Hennepin County will have to pay up to cover this latest massive cost increase. Perhaps the FTA will find a way to cough up $100M or so, but I'd expect the Hennepin County Board will ultimately approve the additional expenditures as they come due, because the alternative is construction coming to a halt. Whether they do that by borrowing (bonding) against future transit sales tax proceeds or actually tap property taxpayers directly over the next couple of years remains to be seen. With the cost of borrowing going up and uncertain sales tax proceeds (flat?, growing more slowly than pre-pandemic?), I'd guess it'll have to be a bit of both to make up that $500 mil.

[thespeedmccool]

So I think "sloppy" is probably the right way to put this. Maybe the state will play a role filling the gap, and if it does, it will probably through a surrogate, but they haven't committed to it yet and it's unlikely they will (imagining Republicans won't bite.)

Not like these TV news groups have ever done high-quality reporting -- or unbiased reporting -- but this article is really, really bad.