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Appointment of Community Advisory Committee
is important next step in Central Corridor project

ST. PAUL—Oct. 20, 2006—With the Central Corridor Management Committee now in place, the Metropolitan Council expects to name a Community Advisory Committee in December for the proposed light rail project.

The Community Advisory Committee, or “CAC,” will be a vehicle for communicating with the public. Its activities will be focused on involving community and neighborhood groups in station design, promoting public awareness, addressing community concerns about parking and other issues, and identifying ways to promote safety and mitigate construction impacts.

“This committee will be very important to the process of establishing light rail along Central Corridor,” said Council Chair Peter Bell.

“This project has many, many audiences and interested parties,” Bell said. “The CAC will focus on sharing information and receiving input from the public, including neighborhoods, residents, businesses and civic and ethnic groups. Public contributions were instrumental in making the Hiawatha Line as successful as it is, and we are committed to providing similar opportunities in connection with Central.”

The CAC will meet monthly on the third Thursday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m., and provide regular reports to the Central Corridor Management Committee (CCMC).

The 13-member Central Corridor Management Committee was named in September and met for the first time in October. The CCMC will advise the lead agencies on the project’s scope, budget and schedule during the project’s design and construction phase. It will consider issues such as possible changes in alignment, station design and efforts to mitigate adverse impacts during construction.

Other key steps in the project’s progression will be establishment of a project office somewhere along the corridor. The Council also anticipates federal approval by the end of the year to proceed with preliminary engineering (PE).

During the two-year PE phase, the project would be designed to approximately 65 percent.  The Council and project partners finalize station locations, refine and finalize project costs, benefits and impacts, finalize management plans, demonstrate the ability to develop the project and identify and commit local funding sources.

Despite public enthusiasm for the prospect of light rail transit connecting the two central cities, University of Minnesota, Midway area and State Capitol, Council officials say part of the challenge will be eliciting meaningful input that also recognizes the funding constraints. "The cost of the project will have to come down if it is to meet federal cost-effectiveness requirements and win the federal funding needed for construction,” Bell said.

More information on the project—including a map and timeline—is available online at www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/centralcorridor.htm

Comments and questions can be directed to:

Council Public Comment Line at 651.602.1500

Regional Data Center
Metropolitan Council
390 N. Robert St.
St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: 651-602-1140
FAX: 651-602-1464
E-Mail:data.center@metc.state.mn.us

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