Return to: U of M Home
What is the current status of the CCLRT project?
Has the U of M voiced concerns about the CCLRT project before this summer?
Have various CCLRT options for the U campus been explored?
Why did the University agree to the Washington Avenue at-grade proposal?
Q: What is the current status of the CCLRT project?
A: The Met Council (the regional agency in charge of the CCLRT
project) submitted its Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on June 26th.
The University and other parties to the project have 30 days
(until July 27, 2009) to submit comments on the FEIS. The University
will review and comment on the FEIS to ensure that plans for
LRT properly mitigate the impact of the Washington Avenue at-grade
route on nearby research facilities.
The FTA will review the FEIS and comments, and issue a record
of decision (ROD), which determines whether the environmental review
is complete and if the project can proceed to the next action steps.
- - -
Q: Has the U of M voiced concerns about the CCLRT project before this summer?
A: The U of M has been involved with the LRT planning process for over eight years. As our project timeline shows, the U has been consistently open with its ideas and concerns about this vital transit project.
- - -
Q: Have various CCLRT options for the U campus been explored?
A: In 2001, the Board of Regents adopted a position calling
for exploration of two Central Corridor options: a “northern alignment”
that would cross the Mississippi river via the #9 railroad bridge
and run through Dinkytown, and a bus rapid transit (BRT) line
on Washington Avenue. The Board also insisted upon a tunnel as
part of any LRT alignment on Washington Avenue. This last option
became the approach favored by the Met Council in its preliminary
planning.
The tunnel had been included in the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) that the Met Council submitted to the FTA in
June 2006. It was adopted as the locally preferred alternative,
and was part of the project approved by the FTA for preliminary
engineering. In February 2008, when it was determined that
the cost of a tunnel might preclude this important transit project
from receiving federal funding, an alternate alignment on Washington
Avenue at-grade was proposed.
The University and Central Corridor officials also explored the viability of the northern alignment option at this time. The northern alignment, when tested using current cost-effectiveness index (CEI) and ridership models, did not generate the numbers needed to compete for federal support.
- - -
Q: Why did the University agree to the Washington Avenue at-grade proposal?
A: As noted, the University explored other options for LRT that posed less risk to research along Washington Avenue while addressing concerns about safety, traffic and community well-being. CEI and ridership models indicated these options were not viable for federal funding.
