Governor’s bonding proposal supports transit, parks

$60 million recommended for Northstar commuter rail project

The Metropolitan Council’s proposed network of regional transitways will get a significant infusion of funds if Governor Pawlenty’s 2006 bonding proposal is approved by the Minnesota Legislature this spring. Proposed funding for four metro-area transit projects totals $75.8 million. In addition, the Governor has recommended $11.7 million in bonding for regional parks.

“The Governor’s support for transit in the metropolitan area is very strong,” said Council Chair Peter Bell. “This funding will allow us to take significant strides toward building transit ridership in the long-term and to slow the growth of traffic congestion in the region.”

“The parks funding is also critical,” Bell added. “We know that the region’s parks and open spaces are highly valued by our citizens. The state funding, matched by regional bonds, will allow us to continue to expand, develop and preserve our outstanding regional parks system.”

Northstar Commuter Rail

The lion’s share of the metro area transit bonds, $60 million, would go to the Northstar commuter rail line. The $289 million project includes a 40-mile, six-station route serving Big Lake and Elk River in Sherburne County, and Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and downtown Minneapolis in the seven-county metro area. The project also includes a commuter rail maintenance facility in Big Lake and a four-block, one-station extension of Hiawatha light-rail transit from 1st Avenue N. to the proposed downtown commuter rail station near 5th Avenue N. in Minneapolis.

Capital costs for Northstar are split approximately 50% federal, 33% state and 17% local. The state previously spent $1.1 million for study of the project in 1998. The 2005 Legislature authorized $37.5 million for final design, property acquisition and construction. The Metropolitan Council has contributed $2.5 million.

A train on the Sounder Commuter Rail line in King County, Washington, pulls out of a station. Governor Pawlenty proposes $60 million in state bonds for Northstar Commuter Rail between Minneapolis and Big Lake.

I-35W Bus Rapid Transit

The Governor also recommended $8.3 million in bonds to develop two bus rapid transit (BRT) facilities in the Interstate 35W corridor. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be building a BRT/high-occupancy-vehicle lane as part of the reconstruction of the I-35W/Crosstown interchange.

An estimated $3.3 million of the bonding request will be used to help construct what is called an “in-line” bus station at 46th St., where buses can pick up passengers without leaving the freeway. Passengers will access the station from above the freeway on 46th St.

Another in-line station is planned at I-35W and 82nd Ave. in Bloomington. The station will be built as part of the I-494/I-35W interchange reconstruction. Five million dollars of the bonding will be used to construct a park-and-ride lot, which can be built and used before the station is completed.

Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit

The bonding proposal includes $5 million for Cedar Avenue BRT. The corridor runs 16 miles from the Mall of America Transit Station south to County Highway 70 in Lakeville. State bonds in 2006 would supplement $10 million provided in 2005, along with $10.8 million in federal money and $1.4 million in local funds for the first phase of development. Improvements in the first phase include bus-only shoulders, a new Cedar Grove Transit Station, expansion of park-and-ride capacity at Apple Valley, and a new park-and ride facility in Lakeville (contingent on Lakeville joining the transit taxing district).

Regional parks would get $11.7 million in state bond funding if the Governor’s proposal is approved by the Minnesota Legislature.

Heavy congestion in both the Cedar Avenue and I-35W corridors gives them a service level rating of F – the worst possible. Traffic is characterized by stop-and-go conditions, and stoppages are often of long duration in both corridors.

Central Corridor engineering

The final transit project in the seven-county metro area included in the Governor’s proposal is the Central Corridor, for which $2.5 million is identified for preliminary engineering. The 11-mile corridor connects downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul along University Avenue and includes several other large employment centers, among them the University of Minnesota and the State Capitol.

The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority is the lead agency for the project, and is currently considering two options for the corridor – BRT and light rail. A decision is expected this year.

Bonding for regional parks

Governor Pawlenty recommends $11.7 million in bonds for regional parks. The proposal earmarks $2 million of the total for improvements at Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis and $1.5 million for Port Crosby in South St. Paul. The remainder, $8.2 million, will be allocated through the Metropolitan Council’s prioritized capital improvements program (CIP). The Council issues regional bonds to cover 40 percent of the funding for regional park projects identified in the CIP as a match to the state bonds. The 2006 match will total nearly $5.5 million.