This year, the prospect of a Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) project has become a reality. As the $909 million project to connect Minneapolis and St. Paul takes shape, it leaves the door open for the next step in transit projects – and that is where the Southwest Transitway may receive its long-awaited turn.

“We think we’re next in the queue,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, who chairs the Policy Advisory Committee for the Southwest Transitway project.

Southwest LRT would extend from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis. For the past couple of years, planners of the project have focused on narrowing the list of possible routes for the transitway. Ultimately, three routes have come out of that work: one that follows the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) Southwest Corridor, which is the former railroad bed now used as a bike path, and two other possible routes that would both cut through Eden Prairie’s Golden Triangle area.

Still, the Southwest Transitway is one of many possible transit projects brewing in the metro area. Dorfman said that it will be up to the Metropolitan Council to determine which project is next in priority. She suspects that will happen later this year, “when they issue their transportation policy plan.”

In the meantime, the Southwest Transitway planning is moving along with the next important step – the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).

Scoping

The beginning of the environmental review process is also an opportunity for public to give its input.

In the next month, project planners will unveil a new Web site (currently it’s www.southwesttransitway.org) and a schedule of public meetings, called scoping meetings.

“It’s really an opportunity for the public to come and weigh in on what we’re doing,” said Katie Walker, the project manager with Hennepin County.

She said it’s better if an issue is raised at the beginning of this process; “then it can really be looked at in depth, and everyone gets some time to consider it,” she said.

One of the main questions they’ll ask at these scoping meetings is whether an option has been overlooked. The meetings will also give the public an opportunity to learn about possible impacts, possible mitigation of those impacts, and comment on any impacts that might be missed. After they receive comments, planners will produce a scoping decision document that responds to all the issues that have been brought up, added Walker.

During this time, people can also e-mail and fax comments along with calling a hotline.

Walking said the scoping process will go on for the first three months of the DEIS.

“It’s a very public process,” added Dorfman, who noted the DEIS should take a year to 18 months to complete.

Dorfman said they’d like to identify a preferred alignment by the end of this year or early next year.

The city of Eden Prairie has a preferred route that would go through the Golden Triangle area and to Eden Prairie Center. That includes routes known as 3A and 3C, which both take the same path through Eden Prairie’s Golden Triangle, but then branch off into different directions once in Minneapolis. The third option, called 1A or C, would follow Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority property that mostly passes residential areas.

Dorfman said the preference for a Golden Triangle route was really driven by the city and the business community saying “these are the business areas and high job growth areas and it’s really important to us to see transit serve those areas.”

Information taken from the upcoming public meetings will come into play when it comes to choosing the preferred route. Additionally, an analysis of costs will be another factor in picking a route.

When working with the Federal Transit Administration, you have to meet this cost effectiveness index, noted Dorfman.

The project does have to fall under certain costs “that will help dictate the alignment that we select.”The money

The Central Corridor project is set to be completed by 2014; the hopeful number for construction to start on the Southwest Transitway is 2015.

“We’re sticking to that,” said Dorfman, while noting that the Met Council currently has it on schedule for 2020.

 “It should really be built right on the heels of Central,” she added.

But a number of financing obstacles remain.

Walker estimated that, while Central is under construction for 2012, 2013 and 2014, they’ll need about $150 million a year between local sources and the state.

So, a problem planners run into is if you ask for that much money from the state for the Central project, it’s hard to ask for a similar amount of money the same year for the Southwest project.

The hope is they’ll pay for Central then start construction Southwest on 2015, and it would take three years to construct it, she said.

At the same time, Walker notes that the momentum of this corridor is “pretty incredible.”

 “…and Eden Prairie has done a 180 [degree turn] on us,” she added.

 “Now it’s like they are hungry for it.”

Though Central received funding this year, funds for the Southwest DEIS were vetoed by the governor.

The Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority, the agency overseeing the project, did budget money to get the DEIS started but, if the project received state and federal money from the study, it could also go about doing a rail station study.

Dorfman said that although they were unsuccessful at getting the DEIS money this year, they’ll be back next session.

 “There has to be a state commitment,” she said.

The advantage they now have now comes with the transit sales tax, she noted.

 “We now have transit money that we can put on the table. That helps leverage the federal money,” said Dorfman.

The first big chunk of that tax goes to the Metropolitan Council and goes to Central, she said.

“And then we’ll make the case for beginning to set aside some of that money for Southwest.”

Dorfman noted that Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is working to get $1 million to help with the DEIS, through a federal transportation appropriations bill.

“Hopefully we’ll see that federal money approved over the next year,” she said.

The problem, noted Walker, is that every year of delay costs the project about $40 million. If it begins in 2018 instead of 2015, that's another $120 million to $150 million needed for the same project.

Bottom line: The sooner the better for transit planners in the region.

“We’re never going to get a transit system in this region if we do one every 10 years,” said Dorfman.

A click away: Visit http://www.southwesttransitway.org/ for more info.

Here's a summary of the three main LRT routes

Essentially there are two route options for Eden Prairie, 1 or 3. The alternatives A or C effect how the route will run in Minneapolis.

1A runs from Eden Prairie and goes to downtown Minneapolis through the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) Southwest Corridor (currently used as the bike trail).

3A runs from Eden Prairie and goes to downtown Minneapolis through the Opus/Golden Triangle area, the HCRRA's Southwest Corridor, and the Kenilworth Corridor in Minneapolis.

3C runs from Eden Prairie and goes into downtown Minneapolis through the Opus/Golden Triangle area, the HCRRA's Southwest Corridor, the Midtown Corridor, and Nicollet Avenue.