Meeting objectives and structure

Transcription

1 Meeting objectives and structure MEETING OBJECTIVES 1. To build on previous meetings and conversations and explore the key issues about SWLRT in greater depth and even more meaningful conversation. MEETING STRUCTURE 5:00 5:30 Open House 5:30 5:50 Introduction & Project Update 5:50 7:20 Facilitated Conversations & Report Out 2. To solicit input on the scope of reports that have been commissioned that can genuinely inform the completion 7:20 7:30 Wrap Up of those reports: Freight rail location analysis Water resources evaluation Landscaping/greenscaping inventory GROUND RULES Share your thoughts openly, honestly and respectfully Use your indoor voice Only one speaker at a time Please wait to be recognized before speaking Take phone calls outside Signs are permitted; remove handles for safety

2 What is the route of the Southwest LRT? The Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) route for Southwest LRT was selected in 2010 and endorsed by all cities along the route. Target Field Station Royalston Station Van White Station en L ine (C en tr a lc or rid o r) LR T Minneapolis Penn Station Since January 2013, minor adjustments to the LPA alignment have been made in response to public input during the engineering process. St. Louis Park West Lake Station Beltline Station Wooddale Station The LPA runs from downtown Minneapolis through the communities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, passing in close proximity to the city of Edina. Southwest LRT will interline with Central Corridor LRT (the Green Line) to provide a oneseat ride from Eden Prairie to downtown St. Paul. It will be part of an integrated system of transitways, including connections to the METRO Blue Line, the Northstar Commuter Rail line, a variety of major bus routes along the alignment, and proposed future transitway and rail lines. Gr e Louisiana Station Hopkins Blake Station Shady Oak Station Minnetonka Downtown Hopkins Station Edina Opus Station City West Station Golden Triangle Station Eden Prairie Southwest Station Proposed adjustments to LPA in Eden Prairie Mitchell Station Eden Prairie Town Center Station Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, USGS, Intermap, ipc, NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Projected ridership in 2030 is 29,660 weekday riders. Travel time from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie: 38 minutes Current LRT Fares: $1.75 non-peak / $2.25 peak hours

3 How did we get here? Planning to improve transit in the Southwest Corridor has included collaboration with communities along the corridor and has followed ALTERNATIVES DRAFT PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL federal and state requirements. ANALYSIS (AA) DEVELOPMENT IMPACT STATEMENT (PD) Completed 2006 (DEIS) The first studies of Soutwest Corridor transit Started 2013 improvements were developed in the 1980s by Completed 2012 Hennepin County. In 2004, the Metropolitan Council adopted the 2030 Transportation Policy Plan, which AA ACTIVITIES: DEIS ACTIVITIES: PD ACTIVITIES: envisioned a transitway in the Southwest Evaluate routes and modes Document potential impacts Initiate engineering Corridor. of multiple route and mode and design Select Locally Preferred alternatives Hennepin County conducted an Alternatives Alternative Resolve technical issues Analysis of transit improvement options for the Seek input from public, local identified during the DEIS Southwest Corridor in 2006/2007. governments and relevant process agencies Continue environmental Based on this analysis, Hennepin County and process, concluding with the Metropolitan Council identified the Locally Record of Decision Preferred Alternative (LPA) of light rail transit (LRT) along the proposed route in In 2012, the Federal Transit Administration, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council published the Southwest Transitway Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which evaluated the impacts of several project route and mode alternatives. In January 2013, the Metropolitan Council became the lead agency for the environmental process of the project, and began engineering and design work. The Metropolitan Council reviewed the comments on the DEIS and identified 25 technical issues to be resolved in Project Development. In 2013, project engineers resolved 23 of the 25 issues. One of the remaining issues is the location of freight rail. In response to public feedback, Governor Dayton asked the Metropolitan Council to complete additional studies related to freight rail and concerns about the impacts of a shallow LRT tunnel on water quality and vegetation.

4 Why not reconsider the Uptown route? Planning for the Southwest LRT line included an Alternatives Analysis that considered several route options. The Alternatives Analysis identified several factors that made the Midtown Greenway and Nicollet Hennepin County eliminated the Greenway-Nicollet route from further consideration for Southwest LRT. However, other transit options including streetcar service that would connect to the Southwest LRT line at West Lake Station are currently being considered for the Midtown Greenway and Nicollet Avenue. Avenue a poor route for Southwest LRT. CHALLENGES FOR LRT IN THE MIDTOWN GREENWAY NICOLLET TOWN ALIGNMENT Greater construction impacts: Significant property acquisitions: Under both Uptown alternatives, Target Field Station Compared to the current route, Nicollet Avenue south of Interstate Royalston Station 4th Street Station many more private properties, two- 94 would be closed from Franklin thirds of which are in low-income Avenue to 28th Street for approximately two years. Van White Station 8th Street Station neighborhoods, would have to be acquired. Busy downtown streets and intersections would be ripped up for multiple years for utility Penn Station 12th Street Station relocation and LRT construction. Franklin Station More historic and cultural impacts: Historic properties eligible for Higher construction costs: or listed in the National Register Construction costs would be $111 of Historic Places, and cultural million to $180 million higher than resources such as Orchestra Hall, for the proposed $1.55 billion design with two shallow LRT Uptown Station 28th Street Station Peavey Plaza and Westminster Presbyterian Church, would tunnels through the Kenilworth West Lake Station Lyndale Station be directly impacted by LRT Corridor. construction and operation. The map above shows the Midtown Greenway/Nicollet Avenue alternatives considered (dashed lines) and the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) route (solid line) for the Southwest LRT Project. Project sponsors studied sub-options for operating light rail at street level or in a shallow tunnel between the Greenway and Franklin Avenue; alternatives for routing trains on or under Blaisdell Avenue or First Avenue South (blue) in that area were also considered. Another sub-option (purple) would have routed trains along 11th and 12th Streets to Royalston Station.

5 Where can I go on Southwest LRT? Southwest LRT will connect the Southwest Corridor with key destinations in the Twin Cities region. Target Field The Guthrie Theater Target Center Vikings Stadium The University of Minnesota Opportunities for entertainment, shopping, health care and education Shops, restaurants and theaters Dunwoody Institute of Technology Walker Art Center Penn Station Royalston Station Van White Station Hennepin County Medical Center Target Field Station Minneapolis TCF Bank Stadium Hamline University St. Paul Saints Ballpark Minnesota Capitol of downtown Minneapolis and St. St. Louis Park are plentiful along the Southwest LRT and the METRO Green Line: Paul, including the Guthrie and the Ordway. Downtown Hopkins Hopkins Center for the Arts Hopkins West Lake Station Beltline Station Wooddale Station Louisiana Station Blake Station Methodist Hospital Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Blue Line (Hiawatha) LRT Green Line (Central Corridor) LRT Fairview University Hospitals Augsburg College St. Paul College Xcel Center The Ordway Theater Major medical centers including Target Field, Target Center, the Minnetonka Downtown Hopkins Station Shady Oak Station Edina VA Medical Center Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, U of M stadiums, Xcel Center Opus Station Hennepin County Medical Center and the new St. Paul Saints and City West Station Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Fairview University Hospitals. Vikings stadiums. Golden Triangle Station Eden Prairie Eden Prairie Town Center Station Educational institutions including The Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. Mitchell Station Southwest Station Eden Prairie Center Mall Mall of America the University of Minnesota, Eden Prairie Town Center Red Line BRT Dunwoody Institute, Augsburg Downtown Hopkins and Eden College and St. Paul College. Prairie Town Center. Downtown Minneapolis: 147,000 jobs Royalston Station Target Field Station University of Minnesota: 15,000 jobs Van White Station Minneapolis Green Line (Central Corridor) LRT Downtown St. Paul: 72,000 jobs The Southwest LRT line will serve major job centers Minnetonka Opus Business Park: 11,000 jobs Hopkins Downtown Hopkins Station Shady Oak Station Blake Station Opus Station St. Louis Park Beltline Business Park: 6,000 jobs Louisiana Station Wooddale Station East End Hopkins (Cargill, Supervalu): 5,000 Edina jobs K-Tel Drive Industrial Park: 3,500 jobs Beltline Station Methodist Hospital: 5,200 jobs Penn Station West Lake Station West Calhoun: 4,200 jobs Blue Line (Hiawatha) LRT in the Southwest Corridor and connect to the University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul via the METRO Green Line, with no transfer required. Southwest LRT will provide Growing numbers of reverse UnitedHealth Group Campus: 6,700 jobs Eden Prairie Eden Prairie Town Center Station City West Station Golden Triangle Station Golden Triangle Business Park: 18,000 jobs Employment Density (All jobs, per acre) 40 or More 20 to 39.9 economical and reliable transportation to people traveling to Minneapolis and St. Paul as commuters who live in the central cities and work in the Southwest Corridor will benefit from access Mitchell Station Southwest Station 10 to to 9.9 well as those who work in the to some of the region s most Hwy. 212 Corridor: 16,000 jobs Red Line BRT Less than 3 southwestern communities. dynamic employers in health care, technology and manufacturing. Copyright: 2013 Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ

6 Why do ridership projections change during project development? Ridership for the Southwest LRT will be determined at Ridership projections are influenced by many factors. key project milestones: Corridor ridership projections are developed using a model of the Twin Alternatives Analysis Projected ridership is one factor used to compare different project alternatives Cities regional transportation system. The LPA forecasts indicated that Southwest LRT would average 29,660 weekday riders in Locally Preferred Alternative Ridership projections are submitted to This model is updated periodically with new data: the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) New Starts program with the Project s application to begin engineering work Regional socio-economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau The Metropolitan Council s Travel Behavior Inventory, which collects Project Development After the project scope has been approved, updated ridership projections are submitted to the FTA when the information on regional travel patterns and the use of transit by Twin Cities residents Project applies for a New Starts final funding grant Other factors that affect the model and influence ridership projections include: Year the data was collected Year of projection (2020, 2030, ) Changes in the number and location of planned park-and-ride facilities Changes in the number of planned stations Bus and rail transit connections

7 Who makes decisions about Southwest LRT? The Metropolitan Council receives COMMITTEE REVIEW & ISSUE RESOLUTION PROCESS input through advisory and policy committees. Members include business owners, private citizens, government officials and community representatives. Issue Resolution Technical Project Business & Community Corridor Management Teams Advisory Committee Advisory Committees Committee Issue Resolution Teams bring together technical staff from municipalities, the Council and engineering consultants to resolve project development issues. The Technical Project Advisory Committee provides technical input on planning and engineering challenges. IRTs TPAC BAC/CAC CMC Elected & appointed City & County staff City & County staff Public membership officials State agency staff State agency staff (city, county, state) Met Council Area residents, business owners and representatives of local interest groups serving on the Business & Community Advisory Committeees meet regularly to review and provide feedback on project activities. Elected and appointed officials from cities, Hennepin County, the Council and the State of COMMUNITY OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT PROCESS Minnesota provide input on project activities and advise the Metropolitan Council through Outreach: Collect Information Engagement: Receive Public Feedback Communication: Share Information membership on the Corridor Management Committee. The Metropolitan Council makes the final decisions on project scope and budget. After Meetings with neighborhood associations, businesses, interest groups Interviews Data Gathering Advisory Committee meetings Business and Community Meetings Web site ( Newsletter Project s News releases Public Open Houses Twitter approving the scope and budget, the Council will submit plans to the cities and county for municipal consent.

8 What additional analysis is being done? New studies of freight rail options, water resources and landscaping are now underway in response to local concerns. The Metropolitan Council selected national engineering firm TranSystems to independently analyze freight rail relocation options and another national engineering firm, Burns & McDonnell, to independently evaluate potential impacts to water resources. Meanwhile, the Southwest LRT Project Office is conducting a landscape inventory. Draft results of these three efforts are expected to be released in late January 2014 for public comment. Final results will be presented to the public and to the project s advisory committees, and will be reviewed by the Metropolitan Council before it votes on the project scope and budget. The project office worked closely with technical staff from Hennepin County, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Louis Park, as well as the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the public in developing the scopes of work. FREIGHT RAIL The freight rail location consultant is independently reviewing existing studies and designs, assessing viability of location options already considered and identifying any new viable options based on the freight rail metrics. WATER RESOURCES The water resources consultant is independently assessing impacts of LRT construction and operation on water levels and quality within the Kenilworth Corridor. LANDSCAPING/GREENSCAPING The landscaping/greenscaping inventory is identifying existing trees and vegetation and will identify re-vegetation opportunities with LRT construction in the Kenilworth Corridor.

9 What is the independent freight rail location study? Far Western Connection Southerly Connection to MN&S via Union Pacific track United Transportation Union Proposal Appleton Western Connection Minneapoli Current TC&W Route Hopkins- St. Louis Park Granite Falls Glencoe Current TC&W Route Chaska Cut-Off DEIS Midtown Greenway Current TC&W Route Western Loops: The Appleton/Benson Far Western and Granite Falls/Willmar Western alternatives. Southern Shifts: The Chaska Cut-Off and the MN&S Southern Connection (via Union Pacific) alternatives. Other Options: The United Transportation Union alternative in Golden Valley and St. Louis Park; The Midtown Greenway alternative in Minneapolis; The Hopkins/St. Louis Park alternative near the Hwy. 169/Excelsior Blvd. intersection. The DEIS alternative shown above in St. Louis Park was studied and included as the preferred freight rail option in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The independent analysis of freight rail alignments is taking a fresh look at previous studies and proposals. The independent freight rail consultant, TranSystems, is reviewing existing studies and designs, assessing viability of options considered and identifying any new viable options based on the freight rail metrics. The work is being performed by independent engineering consultant TranSystems and coordinated with Hennepin County, the cities of Minneapolis and St. Louis Park and freight rail operators. STUDY ACTIVITIES Reviewing Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) freight rail relocation design and comments Reviewing previous freight rail relocation studies Reviewing Southwest LRT Project Office relocation designs Interviewing staff of freight railroads, cities and Hennepin County Identifying any new viable options based on the freight rail metrics Presenting results in February 2014 to the Business Advisory Committee, Community Advisory Committee, Corridor Management Committee and the Metropolitan Council PREVIOUS STUDIES REVIEWED United Transportation Union memoranda (2013) Technical memoranda (Short Elliott Hendrickson, 2010 & 2011) Evaluation of Twin Cities & Western Railroad routing alternatives (Amfahr Consulting, 2010) Twin Cities & Western freight rail realignment study (Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority/TKDA, 2009) St. Louis Park railroad study (RLK Associates, 1999)

10 Freight rail study metrics ELEMENT METRIC OR MEASUREMENT Technical Design & Engineering Alignment Horizontal curves/reverse curves Vertical grade Compensated grade Governing rules & guidelines Safety Considerations Proximity of track to homes Proximity of track to schools At-grade pedestrian crossings At-grade road crossings Operational Considerations Train speed Number of trains Existing freight rail customer service impacts Significant Obstacles to Implementation Utilities Regulatory Community Impacts Property acquisition Community cohesion Costs Construction Operations & maintenance

11 What is the water resources evaluation? The independent water resources evaluation will assess potential impacts of LRT construction and operations on water levels and quality within the Kenilworth Corridor. Independent consultant Burns & McDonnell is performing the evaluation, coordinating with the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. TIMEFRAME Existing Conditions Construction REVIEW & EVALUATE Ground water levels Lake water levels Water quality Soil conditions Proposed construction methods to minimize impacts to ground water and maintain water quality Proposed construction methods to minimize impacts to surface water and maintain lake water quality Proposed methods to monitor ground water level, surface water level and water quality during construction Operations Proposed methods to address ground water seepage Proposed methods to address surface run off Proposed methods to monitor ground water level, surface water level and water quality on an ongoing basis Brownie Lake Penn Station STUDY ACTIVITIES Cedar Lake The evaluation will review all previous reports and documents related to water impacts: Southwest LRT Project Office draft shallow LRT tunnel Basis of Design Southwest LRT Project Office draft water monitoring plan for construction and ongoing operations Lake of the Isles Minnehaha CreekWatershed District/Wenck Associates technical memo West Lake Station Beltline Station Lake Calhoun As part of the water resources evaluation and ongoing ground water monitoring program, a technician inserts a ground water level indicator into one of the dozen piezometers placed in the Kenilworth Corridor in November 2012.

12 What is the landscaping/greenscaping inventory? Va n The landscaping/greenscaping inventory is cataloging vegetation in the Kenilworth Corridor and identifying replanting opportunities. These activities will be carried out by certified tree inspectors and coordinated with the city Be of Minneapolis, HennepinltlCounty, Minneapolis ine Sta Park & Recreation Board and Minnehaha Creek tio Wo n o dd Watershed District. a le S ta tio Wh ite Map showing the area of the tree and S ta vegetation survey in the Kenilworth ti o n Corridor, roughly between the sites of the proposed West Lake and Penn stations. Penn Station Southwest LRT Route Survey Area n West Lake Station EVALUATION METRIC OR MEASUREMENT Tree Inventory Type Number Size 0 1,500 3,000 Feet A certified tree inspector hired by the project office measures the diameter of a tree in the Kenilworth Corridor in November 2013.

13 What makes freight rail relocation so difficult? Today, more trains operate on fewer miles of track than in the past. With freight traffic on TWIN CITIES AREA FREIGHT RAILROAD MAP FREIGHT RAIL NETWORK CHANGES B Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations The map below shows freight rail lines in the December Twin Cities 2013 region (2013). Freight routes that have I Zimmerman been abandoned since 1970 are shown in yellow. Bethel St. Francis Stacy Center City Shafer Becker Lindstrom Linwood Twp. Freight railroads are common carriers, and their services are regulated by federal law. East Bethel many lines near capacity, Big Lake Nowthen Oak Grove Chisago City Elk River Wyoming relocation options are Monticello Columbus CN Osceola The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is the federal agency charged limited. Otsego Ramsey Andover Ham Lake Columbus Forest Lake Scandia with overeseeing economic impacts Albertville Dayton on freight rail shippers and carriers. In Minnesota, the total length of Saint Michael Rogers Dayton Anoka Lino Lakes Marine on St. Croix Buffalo active freight railroads decreased Hanover Hassan Twp. Champlin Coon Rapids Blaine Centerville Hugo May Twp. STB approval is generally Hanover from 8,500 miles in 1980 to 4,400 miles in Over the same period, freight tonnage increased 74% from 140 million to 243 million tons annually. As freight rail companies have merged and consolidated their Montrose Watertown Hollywood Twp. Watertown Twp. Corcoran Greenfield Rockford Rockford Greenfield Loretto Delano Medina Independence Independence Maple Plain Long Lake Orono Wayzata Woodland Minnetrista Mound Spring Park Minnetonka Beach Deephaven Tonka Bay Greenwood St. Bonifacius Shorewood Excelsior Maple Grove Plymouth Medicine Lake Osseo Minnetonka Hopkins New Hope Crystal Robbinsdale Golden Valley St. Louis Park Circle Pines Lexington Spring Lake Park Brooklyn Park Mounds View Brooklyn Center TCWR Fridley New Brighton Hilltop Columbia Heights Minneapolis St. Anthony Arden Hills Roseville Lauderdale Falcon Heights St. Paul Shoreview Lilydale White Bear Twp. Dellwood North Oaks Mahtomedi Vadnais Heights Gem Lake Birchwood Village White Bear Lake Willernie Pine Springs Little Canada Maplewood North St. Paul West St. Paul Oakdale Landfall Woodbury Grant Lake Elmo CN (WC) Stillwater Twp. MZL Stillwater Oak Park Heights North Hudson West Lakeland Twp. Hudson Lakeland Shores Lakeland Lake St. Croix Beach St. Marys Point Afton Baytown Twp. Bayport CN required for changes in service, abandonment of active freight lines, or other changes that have economic impacts. To make such changes, a freight rail carrier is required to submit an application to the STB for their services, abandonment of tracks has reduced freight rail lines in the Mayer Waconia Twp. Camden Twp. Waconia Laketown Twp. Victoria Chanhassen Eden Prairie Edina Richfield Fort Snelling (unorg.) Mendota Mendota Heights Sunfish Lake South St. Paul Newport review and approval. Twin Cities region from 685 to 480 route-miles. Norwood Young America Cologne TCWR Chaska Shakopee TCWR Bloomington Eagan St. Paul Park Inver Grove Heights Grey Cloud Island Twp. Cottage Grove Denmark Twp. The Southwest LRT Project Office is working with freight rail The Twin Cities continues to be Benton Twp. Dahlgren Twp. Carver Jackson Twp. Louisville Twp. Prior Lake Savage Burnsville Apple Valley Rosemount Coates Nininger Twp. Hastings Prescott companies, the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority an important part of the national freight rail network. St. Paul freight yards and junctions handle roughly Hancock Twp. San Francisco Twp. St. Lawrence Twp. Major Railroads Belle Plaine (Class I) Legend Belle Plaine Jordan Sand Creek Twp. Spring Lake Twp. Credit River Twp. Lakeville Farmington Empire Twp. Vermillion Twp. Vermillion Marshan Twp. Ravenna Twp. (HCRRA) and the STB. 5% of all U.S. rail traffic. CN New Market Twp. Hampton New Trier Miesville CP Blakeley Twp. Belle Plaine Twp. Helena Twp. Cedar Lake Twp. Eureka Twp. Castle Rock Twp. Hampton Twp. Douglas Twp. By 2030, the Minnesota State Rail Plan predicts an increase of 25 40% in the amount of freight shipped by rail in the state. Elko New Market Other Railroads & Corridors Abandoned Lines (Pre-1970) Abandoned Lines ( Present) New Prague New Prague Greenvale Twp. Waterford Twp. Sciota Twp. Randolph Randolph Twp. Cannon Falls Le Sueur Class III & Private Railroads: Minnesota Commercial MZL Minnesota Zephyr, Ltd. Progressive Rail TCWR Twin Cities & Western Heidelberg Montgomery Lonsdale Northfield Northfield Dundas

14 Who depends on the freight rail service that passes through Kenilworth? The Twin Cities & Western (TC&W) Railroad serves Minnesota and Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company and Affiliates South Dakota, and is the sole & PRAIRIE LINE MINNESOTATC SMRR rail service provider for 40 GATEWAY TO THE DAKOTAS W communities. To Seattle To Vancouver To Vancouver To Seattle To Seattle To Duluth-Superior TC&W is a short-line freight railroad company, CP formed in 1991, that operates over 283 miles of track in Minnesota and South Dakota. TC&W is affiliated with the Minnesota Prairie Line and Sisseton Milbank Railroad. The company provides rail service to more than 50 businesses, including 6 co-operatives for grain and farm supplies, 2 ethanol plants, vegetable growers and manufacturers. Most of the freight traffic handled by TC&W is destined for interchange in St. Paul, and is then shipped on via interstate rail throughout the Midwest and the rest of the U.S. Since the 1990s, demand for freight has led to increases in the size of trains operated by SMRR Corona To Huron Sisseton To Aberdeen Peever Wilmot Milbank South Dakota BIG STONE Ortonville Odessa LAC QUI PARLE Dawson YELLOW MEDICINE To Kansas City Appleton Marshall Milan Glenwood Benson North Watson Montevideo Wegdahl Granite Falls Hanley Falls SWIFT Wood Wood Lake Lake CHIPPEWA Echo Minnesota Minnesota Falls Falls Belview Sacred Sacred Heart Heart Delhi REDWOOD Renville Renville Willmar Ruebel Ruebel Redwood Falls Danube Danube Morton Olivia Olivia RENVILLE Franklin Franklin Bird Island Island Fairfax Fairfax Hector Hector Buffalo Buffalo Lake Lake Gibbon Gibbon Stewart Stewart SIBLEY Winthrop Winthrop McLEOD Brownton Brownton Minnesota Gaylord Gaylord Arlington Arlington St. Cloud Plato Plato CP GLENCOE GLENCOE Norwood Norwood Bongards Bongards Hamburg Green Isle Mankato Cologne Cologne CARVER To North Platte HENNEPIN Jonathan Jonathan Hopkins Hopkins Chanhassen Chanhassen Shakopee Northfield Lakeville SCOTT --CP MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL Camden St.Louis Park Savage -CP CP Faribault DAKOTA Northfield To Mason City WASHINGTON RAMSEY CN St. Paul yards - CP Wis. To Chicago TC&W. The longest trains are typically unit trains carrying single-commodity shipments such as grain, coal or ethanol. The maximum Twin Cities & Western Minnesota Prairie Line Sisseton Milbank Railroad current train size on the TC&W line is approximately 7,600 feet.

15 Will the walking and biking trails be removed? EXISTING TRAIL SYSTEM TRAIL SYSTEM WITH SOUTHWEST LRT Olson Memorial Hwy W Lake St Proposed SWLRT Alignment 900 1,800 3,600 Feet Existing Freight Rail 25 I-94 W Lake St MINNEAPOLIS lv d West Lake Station Beltline Station Calhoun Bass Blake Rd N MN TH 100 l s io Ex ce d r Bl v France Ave S Downtown Hopkins Station Lyndale Ave S US TH Blake Station Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Trail Harriet CSAH 46 Xerxes Ave S Shady Oak Station Av e on Existing Regional Trails Louisiana Station Ve r n 0 Shady Oak Rd Xerxes Ave S Lagoon Ave EDINA Legend k HOPKINS W 50th St AH La Wooddale Station 7 MN TH CSAH 46 Freight Rail Alignment MN TH 7 Harriet CS Cedar Lake LRT Trail I-35W Existing Freight Rail Alignment W t es I-35W B ls io r Ex ce Calhoun France Ave S Ve r n on Av e EDINA ST. LOUIS PARK Minnet onka B lv d MN TH 100 Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Trail Midtown Greenway B Hopkins Crossroad MINNEAPOLIS Blake Rd N Bl vd Lake of the Isles Hannan Minnehaha Marsh Lyndale Ave S 7 MN TH Penn Ave S MN W Lake St Bass US TH TH 1 00 I-94 Lagoon Ave 25 Cedar ls io r k lv d AH La Kenilworth Trail W Franklin Ave Ex ce W Lake St Cedar Lake LRT Trail l s ior Ex ce US TH 169 TH 1 00 W Penn Station t es US TH 169 MN Hopkins Crossroad ST. LOUIS PARK CS HOPKINS Westwood North Cedar Lake Trail MINNETONKA Van White Station Cedar Lake Trail I-394 W Cedar Midtown Greenway MN TH 7 I-394 W Franklin Ave Minnet onka B lv d Glenw ood Ave Kenilworth Trail Lake of the Isles Minnehaha Marsh GOLDEN VALLEY Hopkins Crossroad Penn Ave S Hopkins Crossroad Westwood Hannan MINNETONKA I-394 W N I-394 Cedar Lake Trail St N Glenw ood Ave h 7t St PLYMOUTH Royalston Station Glenwood Ave N h 7t GOLDEN VALLEY North Cedar Lake Trail Shady Oak Rd Wirth Glenwood Ave N Wirth Olson Memorial Hwy MN TH 55 MN TH 55 PLYMOUTH I- 94 More than half a million people enjoy walking and biking on the trails in the Kenilworth area every year. Construction of Southwest LRT will result in short-term disruption and long-term minor adjustments of trails to accommodate transit service, but no permanent relocation of trails is planned. I- 94 The design of Southwest LRT preserves the valuable network of trails near the light rail line. Legend Regional Trails W 50th St Freight Rail Alignment Proposed SWLRT Alignment ,800 3,600 Feet Proposed SWLRT Alignment in Tunnel SWLRT Stations