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Council says "no" to Central Corridor loop in downtown St. Paul

An alternative alignment for the downtown St. Paul portion of the proposed Central Corridor light rail line will not be considered during preliminary engineering, the Metropolitan Council affirmed on Feb. 28.  

A proposal from Ramsey County to create a one-way loop connecting several major venues around the perimeter of downtown does not adhere to the guiding principles the Council adopted, at the same meeting, for considering any major project scope changes in the corridor (see box below).

"If Ramsey County can show that the Loop meets the standards we just adopted, we'd look at it," said Council Chair Peter Bell.

"Our goal is to provide the best service for the most number of people," said Mary Hill-Smith, chair of the Council's Transportation Committee, at the committee's meeting on Feb. 26. She noted that both a study of the loop alignment commissioned by Ramsey County and the Council transportation staff's analysis showed that the realignment would reduce ridership, increase travel time, increase capital and operating costs, and adversely impact a key federal measure of the project, the cost-effectiveness index (CEI).

And because the proposed loop was not part of the lengthy Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) review process, that public process would have to be re-opened, delaying the project at least six months, explained Arlene McCarthy, the Council's director of transportation services.

The current alignment shows the line beginning at the Union Depot on Fourth Street, following Fourth to a 90-degree turn onto Cedar Street, then heading north through downtown towards the Capitol.

Tony Bennett, chair of the Ramsey County Board and originator of the loop proposal, told the committee that perhaps it was being short-sighted to not consider the realignment.

"The Central Corridor line is a one billion dollar investment that will pay huge dividends...probably for the next 50 to 100 years," said Bennett. "Your charge is to have a vision for the future - not the next two years, not the next five years. It's gotta be done right. We only have one shot at this."

Some committee members expressed both admiration for the loop and concerns about the current alignment, particularly the relatively narrow width of Cedar Street and the potential costs of utility relocation.

"Preliminary engineering is the perfect place to address concerns about the current alignment," Bell said to the full Council, when some of those concerns were aired again.

Representatives of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's office both expressed strong support for the Cedar Street alignment at the Transportation Committee meeting. Nancy Homans, an aide to Coleman, explained three reasons why the mayor believes that Cedar is the best alignment:

• It's a better transit route. It serves more riders every day at less cost.
• It represents better urban design, creating an amenity that has the potential to connect the Mears Park and Rice Park areas of downtown.
• It's more fiscally responsible.

"Cedar is not perfect but we keep coming back to Cedar because the other alignments are less perfect," Homans said.

The mayor agrees with Ramsey County that the line cannot start or stop short of the Depot, Homans said. The Depot is proposed to be developed into a multi-modal transportation hub in coming years.

The current alignment calls for a station in front of the Depot on Fourth St., but McCarthy said modifying the design to go behind the Depot will be considered in preliminary engineering.

"My board supports very strongly getting to the concourse level at the Depot," Bennett said.

"You have to think regionally on all decisions," said Council Member Rick Aguilar, whose district includes part of St. Paul. "I, too, find the Loop to be a great opportunity for the city, but at the same time, with the CEI and all the challenges with the budget - thinking regionally - we have to move forward."

The Council affirmed the Transportation Committee's decision to move ahead without further consideration of the loop proposal.

The Central Corridor is in the first year of the two-year preliminary engineering phase. By fall 2007, the Central Corridor Management Committee will need to decide how to pare down the line's estimated $930 million cost in order to meet the federal CEI. Council Chair Peter Bell has said he believes the cost will need to be reduced to $810 - $820 million to get federal approval to move into final engineering.