>Transit+Transportation > Central Corridor >

Central Corridor LRT final scope: details of $909.1 project

 

Washington Avenue East Bank

• LRT would run at street level on a transit/pedestrian mall
• Cost decrease: $147.6 million from original tunnel plan in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

 

Underground work for future additional University Avenue stations

• Prepare underground foundations for future stations at Hamline, Victoria and Western, run underground conduits for electrical system
• Cost increase: $4.1 million increase for all three stations

 

Union Depot

• LRT trains would stop on Fourth Street between Sibley and Wacouta streets in front of Union Depot
• Cost avoidance: $32 million to $58 million by not going to a station at rear concourse of Union Depot

 

Hiawatha connection

• Improved connection with Hiawatha LRT
• Cost increase: $1.7 million more than the original DEIS plan

 

Vehicle maintenance facility

• Located on Ramsey County-owned land near Union Depot south of Kellogg Boulevard. Original DEIS plan called for Central Corridor LRT trains to use the Hiawatha LRT operations and maintenance facility in Minneapolis.
• Cost increase: $20 million more than the original DEIS plan of $23 million

 

Connection to vehicle maintenance facility

• Double track to vehicle maintenance facility
• Cost increase: $8.5 million

 

Washington Avenue bridge

• Additional modifications to Washington Avenue bridge
• Cost increase: $25 million increase from original DEIS $5 million estimate

 

University Avenue reconstruction

• Resurface street, rebuild curbs, gutters and sidewalks from 29th Avenue to Rice Street.
• Cost decrease: a $25 million savings from original DEIS $55 million plan because roadbed or subsurface is in better condition than originally thought.

 

Downtown St. Paul-Cedar-Fourth intersection

• A diagonal route through downtown St. Paul would go through the vacant Bremer Bank building from Cedar and Fifth streets to Minnesota and Fourth streets, combining two stations to save costs.
• Cost decrease: $2.6 million over original plan

 

Additional mitigation

• Traffic, noise and other mitigation efforts that would be required by the project.
• Cost increase: $20 million from original DEIS budget, allocating about $39 million for mitigation.

 

Three-car platforms

• Build three-car platforms so the line will have the capacity to expand from two-car trains to three-car trains in the future.
• Cost increase: $15 million. Extending platforms once service begins in 2014 would be two to three times more costly.

 

Public art

• Same cost: $3.7 million, same as original DEIS plan