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Transit plans in east metro shift into gear
Feb 12, 2012 (Star Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Construction could begin as early as 2017 on fixed transit along the "Gateway Corridor" from St. Paul east into Washington County, two members of the corridor's transit commission say.
It's now possible that east metro commuters will see the first linked metro transit network since the era of streetcars, said Lisa Weik of Woodbury, chairwoman of the Gateway Corridor Commission and a Washington County commissioner.
"We haven't had a regional system since the 1950s," said Weik, who has embraced transit as essential to economic development. In March, a study of transit routes and modes will be completed.
"The Gateway Corridor is starting 2012 in a very strong position to be the next transit corridor built after Southwest Corridor LRT in the west metro," Weik said last week. "Once we have identified our preferred transit option this spring, environmental work can begin with a goal of having an operating transit line within the next 10 years."
The stretch of Interstate 94 from St. Paul to the St. Croix River is one of the busiest freeways in the metro area. The Gateway proposal would provide public transit from Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to Manning Avenue in Woodbury, relieving vehicle congestion, said Weik and Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens, also a member of the transit commission.
The commissioners heard updates last week on preliminary ridership findings that suggest riders would prefer light-rail transit over bus rapid transit (BRT). The latter is faster, with fewer stops, than conventional buses.
Study results coming in March after 18 months of research will give building and operating costs for eight scenarios. Among them: building nothing, BRT, light-rail transit, commuter rail, or managed lanes in the freeway's center median.
The Gateway proposal, although building momentum, remains far from decided. Once the March study is released, work will begin on engineering, environmental and design considerations. Planners hope the Gateway transit line will become operational by 2022, but that depends on available federal and local funding.
Weik and Giuliani Stephens envision that transit riders would sidestep traffic jams and save gasoline. Trimming travel time could make it more attractive to live in the east metro but work in the west metro, bringing "additional employment opportunities," Weik said.
Union Depot in downtown St. Paul is being remodeled, with plans for it to be a hub for light-rail, Amtrak trains, buses and more.
In 2014, the Central Corridor will start running light-rail transit between the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, along Washington and University avenues.
Running now is Hiawatha LRT, with stops at 19 stations between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America, including Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Commuters can journey onward, too, by transferring to the Northstar commuter rail line running between Minneapolis and Big Lake. Also under discussion is the Red Rock Corridor, a 30-mile commuter route, envisioned from Hastings to St. Paul and on to Minneapolis.
"The Central Corridor is going to connect these dots," Weik said. "It's going to be a hub-and-spoke system."
With transit, including stops and stations, Washington County could attract businesses to relocate or expand, said Weik and Giuliani Stephens.
Weik said east-metro residents tell her, "The west metro keeps getting the transit improvements; when is it our turn?"
Joy Powell --651-925-5038
___ (c)2012 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
at www.startribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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