by DENNIS GEISINGER

“He’s playing some high-stakes poker and he’s going to have to show his hand pretty quick because time for the session is running out.”--MN Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul) of Gov. Pawlenty

Governor Pawlenty’s surprising decision in April to eliminate $70 million for the Central Corridor light rail line, which has already chalked up millions in preparation costs, rocked the worlds of federal, state and municipal officials who fear that the loss of state bonding will derail the project and put more than $450 million in federal transportation dollars up the smoke stack.

Yet those at the throttle of the $909 million transit undertaking are keeping plans on track.

Fearing who ultimately will be cast as the scapegoat for the 35W bridge collapse and ensuing state transportation debacle, state lawmakers are especially vulnerable in this year’s transportation bonding issues.

“Right now, they’re trying to reduce or cap property taxes and do some budget balancing,” said Steve Dornfeld, director of public affairs for the Met Council’s Central Corridor LRT Project. “We’re sort of on the periphery of those issues. My hunch is that if they get an agreement on all these ‘global’ issues, there is a very good chance that the $70 million for the Central Corridor LRT will be included,” Dornfeld said.

But to LRT Project Communications Manager Laura Baenen, it’s still business as usual. Her news is not about political peccadilloes, but rather ongoing deadlines and regulations. And that every opinion about every detail of the project is properly collected, transcribed—and considered.

“Our outreach workers are currently attempting to survey every business owner and resident who lives along University Avenue,” Baenen said. “It’s taking seven or eight weeks to complete the more than 2,500 surveys.” The survey process began in April, and results will help shape decisions about how to balance the loss of on-street parking with pedestrian crossings, secondary station access and minimization of traffic lane shifts.

According to Baenen, perhaps 625 of the 1,150 on-street parking spots on University Avenue will be eliminated for mandatory elements, such as longer left turn lanes, and up to an additional 350 or so could be lost in favor of highly desirable elements, like providing pedestrian crossings without signals. Outreach coordinators, who meet with business owners and other community members, including shoppers, are helping to determine where on-street parking should remain and where it can be eliminated.

“People have told us they want a lot of pedestrian access,” Baenen said. “We’re creating parking management strategies block-by-block,” Baenen said.

A number of existing parking areas along University—like the Target store lot—could be used, according to planners. Meters could also be put along parts of University and Washington Avenues and on side streets to discourage people from parking on the street all day after they’ve taken the train.

“There will be no park-and-rides, because that would drive up project costs,” said Baenen. “We’re looking at keeping the buses on Washington Avenue, not only because it would be more cost effective than rerouting daily all 900 of them, but also to keep a bus lane open for emergency vehicles,” Baenen said. “Options for the LRT route on Washington Avenue will probably be voted upon at the Met Council’s May 21 meeting.”

Along with MN DOT, Ramsey and Hennepin Counties, St. Paul, Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota, the Met Council is the Central Corridor LRT project’s main mover. The Met, as it’s called, says that state law requires cities, counties and regional rail authorities to hold public hearings on the project’s preliminary engineering plans. Known as the “municipal consent process,” the hearings will focus on preliminary design plans for stations, tracks and electrical systems. This schedule follows a long and varied list of public meetings that have already convened throughout the last several years.

“The period of city, county and regional rail authority meetings will conclude by the end of June,” Baenen said, and “then we hold another round of meetings for the public to comment on specific design details of the project,” she said.
“If the Governor doesn’t approve the $70 million in bonding for the Central Corridor LRT, he’s going to set back state transportation plans by years, which down the road is going to end up costing the state of Minnesota a lot of money,” said Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul) from the State House floor on May 15. “He’s playing some high-stakes poker and he’s going to have to show his hand pretty quick because time for the session is running out,” Paymar said.