Minnesota cities approve Blue Line Extension preliminary designs
The preliminary design plans for the Blue Line Extension have been approved by the cities of Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Hennepin County, Minn. Brooklyn Park voted to approve the plans last week. Of the 38 elected officials responsible for voting on these plans, 33 voted to approve the plans.
“We are pleased our city and county partners have confirmed we’re on the right track and ready to move forward together,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Charlie Zelle. “This is an important investment in our regional transit vision that will improve people’s lives and make our communities prosperous for generations to come.”
The process, known as municipal consent, gives cities along the route the opportunity to review early drafts of the design plans for station locations, track placement and major structures with just about 30 percent of the design work completed. This allows them to officially request design changes as the project moves forward.
To ensure the project is positioned to best meet each city’s needs, project staff committed in recent weeks to several key changes, including:
Constructing a 13th station in Minneapolis at the corner of Washington and West Broadway avenues at the same time as the rest of the project. This station was previously designed to be built at a future date after the line opened.
Moving the Downtown Robbinsdale station to the north side of 40th Avenue on Bottineau Boulevard. It had previously been planned for the south side of that intersection.
These changes will be reflected in 60 percent design plans expected to be published for public feedback early next year.
Cities also highlighted in their approval resolutions priorities for future collaboration as the project moves toward more detailed design plans, including:
- Continued analysis and refinement of the Lowry Avenue station
- Pedestrian and bicycle amenities, connections and safety
- Specific anti-displacement measures and commitments
- Public utility coordination
- Operations and maintenance agreements
“The Blue Line Extension is a historic investment in communities that have been historically underinvested in,” said Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando. “This project is about our future and the type of community we want to build together. It’s important that we get it right. There’s still a lot of work to do. Elected officials’ strong support shows the value they know light rail will bring to their communities. Projects of this scale require strong partnership with the communities they will serve—Hennepin County is dedicated to that. We look forward to continuing to work with each city along this route to make sure the Blue Line Extension best serves their communities and our region long into the future.”
The project will continue to work closely and collaborate with city staff and other stakeholders as design advances.
