MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Twin Cities’ second light-rail line, linking downtown St. Paul, the University of Minnesota and downtown Minneapolis, will cost $840 million to build in 2008 dollars, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The cost to build a line that would carry 38,000 people daily in 2020 will be a major factor in policymakers’ decision on the transit future of University Avenue. They also are considering bus rapid transit or a busway that makes use of dedicated bus lanes, which would cost $241 million to build.
The Central Corridor Coordinating Committee — composed of city, county and state policymakers — will draft an early recommendation June 13 on the option it believes will best accommodate travel demand on the line. The major options include light-rail transit, a rapid bus system and existing bus service. The public will have a chance to influence that decision during a community forum at 4 p.m. June 6 at the Brownstone Building, 849 University Ave., St. Paul.
After a series of additional public meetings this summer, the committee will make a final recommendation in the fall.
“My opinion, very strongly and frankly, is if we’re going to spend the money, we should spend it on (light-rail transit). It’s the only mode that doesn’t become obsolete in 10 years,” said St. Paul City Councilman Jay Benanav.
Two-car light-rail trains would run every 7½ minutes from Cedar Street in downtown St. Paul, along University, to a tunnel underneath Washington Avenue at the University of Minnesota, then on to downtown Minneapolis where they could meet up with Northstar Commuter Rail and Hiawatha Light Rail. Washington Avenue already is congested with dozens of buses an hour, which is why the tunnel is being studied.
If travel demand grows, a third car can be added to each train, increasing capacity.
If a busway were constructed, its limits would be reached by 2020. At some point, adding more buses to accommodate growth only exacerbates congestion problems, said Donald G. Yuratovac, senior transit project manager for URS BRW, Inc., which is conducting the Environmental Impact Study of Central Corridor transit options.
“It’s a heck of a lot of money,” Ramsey County Commissioner Janice Rettman said of the fresh estimates. Although she’s concerned about who’s going to pay for it, she’s more concerned about making sure the study provides a complete examination of the options and what taxpayers would be buying.
“People are concerned about what would happen to (the) 16A bus,” said Rettman, who represents the Frogtown area. Metro Transit’s 16A line now runs from downtown Minneapolis to the University of Minnesota and along University Avenue to downtown St. Paul. “(For) businesses that literally rely on bus traffic, that people just don’t wave at them as they go by on LRT,” said Rettman who represents the Frogtown area. “Do we have clear and compelling evidence that you get the bang for the buck? That’s what legislators are going to be looking for.”
She’s reserving comment until she hears from the public “and make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”
The estimated cost to operate light rail, and other transit service in the Central Corridor, including existing Metro Transit service, totaled $61 million in 2008; planners did not isolate costs for operating light rail.
If the busway option were chosen, it would cost $59 million to operate all transit service in the corridor. For five miles of the 11-mile line, buses would operate on exclusive bus lanes, on University from Westgate to Rice Street.
The $54 million estimate for the relocation of private utilities was not included in the capital cost. Who should pay to move private utilities is the subject of a court battle between Xcel Energy and Hiawatha light rail planners.
One complaint about Hiawatha was that the cost estimates were inaccurate. “I think they’ve learned from Hiawatha. I’m confident the numbers are more accurate than Hiawatha,” Benanav said.