Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Hennepin County and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board are hosting two upcoming meetings about the proposed D1 alignment of the Bottineau Transitway near Theodore Wirth Regional Park.
Two Bottineau Transitway community meetings, part of the Theordore Wirth Regional Park Forum, are scheduled to take place at the end of February and early March “Both meetings are part of the Theodore Wirth Regional Park Forum, a multi-day collaborative visioning process that will help the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Hennepin County, and the community best understand the issues and opportunities surrounding introduction of the proposed Bottineau Transitway to the landscape adjacent to the park,” according to the Golden Valley website. The Bottineau Transitway is a proposed light rail transit project that would extend approximately 13 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. The community meeting is scheduled 6-8 p.m. …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Two upcoming community meetings in Minneapolis were referenced.
Before two upcoming Bottineau Transitway community meetings, the Golden Valley City Council heard a brief update on the proposed project at their Feb. 19 meeting. “Going forward, Hennepin County intends to provide updates to all of the communities impacted by the Bottineau Transitway, including Golden Valley, on a monthly basis,” Golden Valley City Planner Joe Hogeboom wrote in a memo to the council. The updates, Hogeboom told the council, should begin at city council meeting next month. “Staff is currently working to determine the timing and level of commitment from the county with regard to station area planning initiatives,” Hogeboom wrote in a memo to the council. “Staff intends to generate a schedule of events surrounding station …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
A public meeting will take place on March 7 followed by a public hearing on March 11.
In a press release last week, the Metropolitan Council announced that a public meeting about the Bottineau Transitway and additional Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors will be held on March 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Robbinsdale City Hall. The meeting comes after the Met Council received and reviewed the Bottineau Transitway alternatives analysis. The 27 page document compiled by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority explains why the light rail path through Golden Valley is preferred. On March 11, the Met Council will host a public hearing to accept comments about both proposed bus routes and the Bottineau Transitway. The hearing will begin at 5 p.m. at the Heywood Office Building Chambers in Minneapolis. “This is an important…
Monday, January 28, 2013
The Pioneer Press reported that some east metro legislators say their regions are being left out of rail plans. Patch wants to know what you think.
Most of the recent debate over rail has been between those who want to spend more money on light rail and those who prefer spending the money on roads and buses. On Sunday, though, the Pioneer Press had a look at a light issue that hasn’t garnered as much attention: Is the east metro getting its share of rail projects? The paper notes that St. Paul’s only rail line right now is Amtrak and that the city is on track to add just one light rail line, the Central Corridor Light Rail line running between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minneapolis, on the other hand, could someday be the starting point of the Hiawatha, Southwest, Bottineau, Central Corridor and Northstar lines. Some east metro legislators say that’s not fair. State officials and …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Find out what readers think about a recent analysis reviewed by the Golden Valley City Council that explains why light rail through Golden Valley might be best.
In an article published last week about the Bottineau Transitway and the locally preferred alternative, Golden Valley Patch readers weren’t shy in expressing their opinions. Many readers were frustrated with information published in the Bottineau Transitway Alternatives Analysis. The 27 page document was compiled by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and explains why the light rail path through Golden Valley is preferred. “D-1 would result in significantly less property and neighborhood impacts, improved travel time and greater cost effectiveness, and less disruption of roadway traffic operations,” the Policy Advisory Committee says in the analysis. Patch user Tom Ring said that he’d rather see more buses come through the …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The alternatives analysis shows that some North Minneapolis residents have concerns about the possibility of a light rail coming down Penn Avenue.
Faster travel time. More cost effective. Fewer traffic impacts. These are some of the D-1 alignment benefits outlined in a recently finished document that reviews Bottineau Transitway route alternatives. According to Golden Valley City Council documents, the Metropolitan Council received the Bottineau Transitway Alternatives Analysis on Jan. 9. The 27 page document was compiled by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority. The Met Council is expected to review and adopt the analysis—which explains why the light rail path through Golden Valley is preferred—in February. Upon adoption, the Met Council can apply for federal funding through the New Starts program. The alternatives analysis says that the D-2 alignment, which would send …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Whether an increased sales tax or a new taxing jurisdiction, advocates say a reliable funding stream could insulate transit from political winds.
The Southwest Light Rail Transit project hasn’t had an easy time securing state funding over the past couple years. It faced stiff opposition from Republicans, with the former transportation committee head promising to stop the Southwest LRT "in its tracks." DFL wins in the 2012 Election bode well for the project, but there’s no way of knowing how long that will last. With the line years away from operation, and the Bottineau Transitway moving forward, some light rail advocates are questioning whether transit should rely so much on state funding. That was the question brought up multiple times Tuesday during a meeting with national and local development experts about making the most of Southwest LRT. Instituting a reliable revenue stream, …
Friday, November 2, 2012
With Hopkins High School so far from the planned light rail line, School Board Director Kris Newcomer questioned whether students would actually be able to use LRT to travel to courses offered at the University of Minnesota.
One of the benefits of the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit line, promoters say, is that west metro high schoolers could use the line to take college classes at the University of Minnesota. School Board Director Kris Newcomer was skeptical, though. Hopkins High School is about four miles from the nearest station. At a joint meeting with the City Council on Tuesday, she wondered how the students are going to get there. The discussion centers on Southwest’s green line extension,which would allow riders to get all the way from Eden Prairie to the University of Minnesota and on to St. Paul. That’s a perfect fit for the state’s Post-Secondary Enrollment Options program, light rail advocates say. That program allows high school juniors and …
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Hopkins Public Schools Hopkins High School
2400 Lindbergh Dr, Minnetonka, MN
/articles/how-much-will-southwest-lrt-really-help-hopkins-students
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/locations/8095963
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The District 44 senator criticized his colleagues’ decision to leave Southwest Light Rail Transit out of the bonding bills approved Monday.
Both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature left Southwest Light Rail Transit out of the bonding bills the House and Senate approved Monday. During the Senate debate, Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44)—who represents Golden Valley, Hopkins and St. Louis Park—criticized opponents of the project for ignoring infrastructure that he argues is essential. Light rail supporters wanted the Legislature to set aside $25 million that was to be part of a $125 million total state contribution to the Southwest project. Latz argued that money would leverage millions more in federal funds, which includes a federal share of $625 million. “And while there are those who have, it appears, a moral objection to transit funding—especially rail funding—the fact is …
Andrew Richter
6:39 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Why is this meeting at 5PM? Would it be so that most citizens can't attend?? more ›