Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT

Roads - Rails - Sidewalks - Bikeways
pfreyre
City Center
Posts: 30
Joined: June 2nd, 2012, 2:52 pm

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby pfreyre » May 9th, 2014, 3:45 pm

No one has mentioned this yet, so...

Mediator hired for Southwest light-rail dispute:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/sta ... 92461.html

mulad
Moderator
Posts: 2753
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 6:30 pm
Location: Saint Paul
Contact:

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby mulad » May 16th, 2014, 12:32 pm

I had been thinking of making a projected ridership map for the Central Corridor, but MPR has leapfrogged me and made one for SWLRT:

http://blogs.mprnews.org/cities/2014/05 ... hwest-lrt/

Archiapolis
US Bank Plaza
Posts: 768
Joined: November 2nd, 2012, 8:59 am

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Archiapolis » May 16th, 2014, 3:48 pm

I had been thinking of making a projected ridership map for the Central Corridor, but MPR has leapfrogged me and made one for SWLRT:

http://blogs.mprnews.org/cities/2014/05 ... hwest-lrt/
As if those that think this route is bad given the new realities of "colocation" need more evidence that the route is bad.

ProspectPete
Union Depot
Posts: 301
Joined: August 6th, 2013, 12:49 pm

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby ProspectPete » May 17th, 2014, 3:22 pm

This Southwest Corridor thread is 120+ pages long, and maybe I missed any mention of it, but someone explain to me again why wouldn't it be possible to elevate the bike trail? Is that totally off the table? Not perfect but neither is 100's of millions of dollars for a tunnel through a forest.
Down by the east bank of the river between Franklin and the U of MN there is a nice elevated walking trail.
I stumbled on a pretty cool bridge design for bikes in Holland. If they can do this why can't we come up with something equally creative? Perhaps the answer to this whole mess is right on the tip of our noses?

I'll post it to the Bicycle Infrastructure page as well.
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/01/ho ... cycle.html

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4646
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Anondson » May 17th, 2014, 3:34 pm

The park district said elevating the trail was a nonstarter.

I always looked at it more optimistically as an extended grade separation over Cedar Lake Pkwy. In the end, of course, it isn't about what to do about the bike trail.

ProspectPete
Union Depot
Posts: 301
Joined: August 6th, 2013, 12:49 pm

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby ProspectPete » May 21st, 2014, 9:11 pm

You are correct, it isn't about the bike trail....but I wonder if the park district has anything to say about a tunnel through the woods?

Silophant
Moderator
Posts: 4472
Joined: June 20th, 2012, 4:33 pm
Location: Whimsical NE

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Silophant » May 21st, 2014, 9:39 pm

They think the deep tunnel is awesome. Which, I suppose, I would too, if I wasn't on the hook to pay for it and exclusively cared about keeping as much pristine parkland as possible.
Joey Senkyr
[email protected]

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4646
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Anondson » May 21st, 2014, 9:48 pm

I've read that the park district has insisted they get a say over the tunnel. I honestly wonder if they were given the two alternates, trail bridging over the tight spots vs. LRT tunnels through the tight spots which would be chosen. Especially if noting that building the trail bridge would be far less disruptive than building the tunnel(s), would be more than a hundred million cheaper, and wouldn't delay the completion date an entire year.

twincitizen
Moderator
Posts: 6368
Joined: May 31st, 2012, 7:27 pm
Location: Standish-Ericsson

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby twincitizen » May 28th, 2014, 11:17 am

Joint Met Council-Hennepin County Public Hearing is tomorrow/Thursday night:

https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/132/mtg ... ntid=23315


When: 6 PM Thursday, May 29, 2014

Where:
Hennepin County Government Center
300 S Sixth Street
Room 1713
Minneapolis, MN 55487

Note that an open house will begin at 5 PM preceding this public hearing. The open house will be held on the Public Service Level of the Hennepin County Government Center.

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4646
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Anondson » May 28th, 2014, 12:56 pm

Hopkins hopes to incorporate old smokestack in station area design after building demolished to make way for future Shady Oak station

http://finance-commerce.com/2014/05/in- ... rt-future/

Hope this happens, it would be iconic on the line, as well as make wayfinding to the station from Excelsior Blvd easier.

Sara Bergen

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Sara Bergen » May 29th, 2014, 8:49 pm

Did anyone get to the public hearing? How did it go? I was on kid duty...

mullen
Foshay Tower
Posts: 961
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 7:02 am

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby mullen » May 30th, 2014, 6:08 am

i heard there were more supporters than opponents.

HoratioRincewind
City Center
Posts: 43
Joined: June 16th, 2012, 7:45 pm
Location: The Hinterlands

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby HoratioRincewind » May 30th, 2014, 12:10 pm

approximately 40 comments. they broke at about 3-to-1 in favor of building the line. lots of northside residents/activists/organizations trying to maximize transit investments in the area.

edit: it's too limiting to say 'maximize transit investments', they also brought up issues of access, minority employment and contracting etc. opponents were about 10 speakers. Half of which were Kenilworth/save the lakes types.

mattaudio
Stone Arch Bridge
Posts: 7752
Joined: June 19th, 2012, 2:04 pm
Location: NORI: NOrth of RIchfield

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby mattaudio » May 30th, 2014, 12:15 pm

One thing that's refreshing is that the true anti-transit spend-nothing-at-all types seem to be quiet on this, at least from what I've been reading. But maybe that's because they mostly live in the exurbs or beyond. I just hope that this doesn't become fodder for anti-transit sentiment for rural legislative candidates.

Archiapolis
US Bank Plaza
Posts: 768
Joined: November 2nd, 2012, 8:59 am

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Archiapolis » June 2nd, 2014, 8:47 am

One thing that's refreshing is that the true anti-transit spend-nothing-at-all types seem to be quiet on this, at least from what I've been reading. But maybe that's because they mostly live in the exurbs or beyond. I just hope that this doesn't become fodder for anti-transit sentiment for rural legislative candidates.
Disclaimer: I fully support mass-transit and a progressive transit agenda.

To be fair, there were MAJOR mistakes made on this project and it *should* face major scrutiny in my opinion. I've said in the past that I don't trust these same groups making transit decisions in the future and I don't trust engineers numbers that fly in the face of observable reality (density). People on this thread are saying, "We have to accept this because it's the 'best we can get at this point'." I think it is gut-wrenching to think that $1.5B is going to be a "shoulder shrug/get 'em next time" endeavor. If the progressives/urbanists on this board have big misgivings/disagreements on this line and the ROI associated with it, then it is LIKELY to be fodder for conservatives.

mplsjaromir
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1138
Joined: June 1st, 2012, 8:03 am

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby mplsjaromir » June 2nd, 2014, 9:08 am

The new St. Croix River crossing which will cost about 50% and is 200% absurd will receive 1% of the scrutiny.

Silophant
Moderator
Posts: 4472
Joined: June 20th, 2012, 4:33 pm
Location: Whimsical NE

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Silophant » June 2nd, 2014, 9:36 am

If the progressives/urbanists on this board have big misgivings/disagreements on this line and the ROI associated with it, then it is LIKELY to be fodder for conservatives.
I'd say "assured" instead of "likely".
Joey Senkyr
[email protected]

EOst
Capella Tower
Posts: 2424
Joined: March 19th, 2014, 8:05 pm
Location: Saint Paul

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby EOst » June 2nd, 2014, 10:40 am

If we were spending extra $$$ to tunnel it to Uptown, it'd still be fodder for conservatives to attack public transit.

As long as this meets or exceeds ridership projections and spurs some new apartment buildings here and there, this will be seen as a success. The average voter in the exurbs is going to hate it either way; he doesn't care about "existing density" or "urban transportation," he hates the project because he thinks trains are dumb.

Anondson
IDS Center
Posts: 4646
Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby Anondson » June 2nd, 2014, 10:46 am

It'll be fodder for many conservatives just because it is money not going to roads. Period.

seanrichardryan
IDS Center
Posts: 4092
Joined: June 3rd, 2012, 9:33 pm
Location: Merriam Park, St. Paul

Re: Southwest Corridor (Green Line Extension)

Postby seanrichardryan » June 2nd, 2014, 4:56 pm

Oookay- LOCKED

http://finance-commerce.com/2014/06/sou ... partments/

The apartments in question.https://www.google.com/maps/place/Clare ... ac479cbfb3

I knew someone who lived here, they are nothing beyond ordinary.
Q. What, what? A. In da butt.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 52 guests