Transportation & Land Use
Dayton’s bonding proposal includes Southwest Light Rail Transit line
Minnesota’s Southwest Light Rail Transit line—planned to connect downtown Minneapolis with Eden Prairie and expected to carry 30,000 riders a day by 2030—just got an important boost. Governor Mark Dayton’s proposed $775 million bonding bill, issued today, calls for $25 million for the Southwest line. When it opens in 2017, this transit line will drive significant economic development in the corridor. You can read more about the details and importance of the Southwest line in this excellent MinnPost article.
With the Governor’s support for the Southwest line, the next play will come from the Legislature. Support is uncertain. At a January 13 meeting of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce—which strongly supports the line—House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader David Senjem said that it’s worth a look, but it may be “hard to get [it] included” in this year’s bill. At the same meeting, House Minority Leader Paul Thissen and Senator Terri Bonoff clearly supported bonding for the line this year.
Dayton’s bonding proposal also includes significant investments in downtown areas statewide. Minnesota Public Radio quotes Dayton, “I believe in downtowns.” Investment in downtowns help drive economic activity while using existing infrastructure and limiting the need for costly new infrastructure. It’s a smart public decision.
Image: Metropolitan Council