SUMMER 2008     

Going forward with transit projects
Last minute compromise restores light rail funding

A clean energy future requires a transportation system that reduces reliance on oil and decreases global warming pollution. Fresh Energy brings more muscle to our transportation-policy advocacy work with the addition of Lynne Bly. Bly comes to Fresh Energy from the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (Mn/DOT) statewide planning and analysis section, where she supervised the statewide planning unit. She previously worked with Minnesota’s metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) as Mn/DOT’s MPO planning program coordinator and as a planner for Mn/DOT’s metro district. She received a B.A. in geography from Macalester College and a master’s degree in environmental health from the University of Minnesota.

April’s edition of Energy Matters reported that bonding for the light rail Central Corridor project had been line-item vetoed by Governor Pawlenty, jeopardizing the project’s federal funding and future implementation. As the session wound down, Central Corridor was held hostage until the 11th hour, but strong leadership, compromise, and the efforts of hundreds who wrote, called, and lobbied to support the project resulted in restored funding. Since then, the Central Corridor Management Committee and the University of Minnesota have agreed to run the light rail line through campus on the selected Washington Avenue route. The project should be on track for construction to begin in 2010, with opening operations still expected in 2014.

OTHER LEGISLATIVE OUTCOMES
The legislature approved further study for potential Duluth to Twin Cities rail service and called for work to begin on a statewide rail plan for both freight and passenger service.

Although the governor’s line-item vetoes interrupted the evaluation and development process for many potential transit routes, alternative funding is allowing others to continue. A few examples follow:

• Rush Line (Hinckley to St. Paul) and Red Rock (Hastings to Minneapolis) have recently received Federal Transit Administration funds that allow long-range planning to continue.
• Hennepin County’s Southwest Corridor (Eden Prairie to Minneapolis) is selecting a consultant for the project’s environmental impact study, the next major step in project development.
• Elements of Dakota County’s Cedar Avenue bus rapid transit (Lakeville to Burnsville) project will be under construction in 2009.

Meanwhile, construction is progressing for the Northstar commuter rail (St. Cloud to Minneapolis), with service anticipated to begin in January 2010.

LAWMAKERS GATHER DATA
Over the next year or two, studies, plans, and reports required by the legislature will focus on transportation planning and implications for energy use and the environment. These include

• The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) must submit a study of long-range transportation solutions that covers 20-year needs for highways, bridges, and transit; funding needs and potential impacts of extreme revenue fluctuation; and analysis of how innovative pricing strategies could influence water and air quality, including global warming emissions. Mn/DOT’s transit planning must meet at least 80 percent of unmet transit needs in greater Minnesota by 2015 and 90 percent by 2025.
• In cooperation with the Metropolitan Council and other local government representatives, Mn/DOT will evaluate benefits, feasibility, and costs associated with a complete streets policy—the concept that public roads should meet the needs of transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians, as well as motorists, and should provide safe access for all users.