BROOKLYN PARK | CRYSTAL | ROBBINSDALE | GOLDEN VALLEY | MINNEAPOLIS Tracking the Blue Line Extension Issue 4 | December 2015 www.BlueLineExt.org Metropolitan Council approves refined 11-station scope and $1.496 billion cost estimate for Blue Line Extension project Metropolitan Council members in early December approved a project scope with 11 stations and a $1.496 billion cost esti- Next step for Blue Line Extension is local mate for the planned METRO Blue Line Extension. approval of line’s physical design The updated project scope includes necessary infrastructure In mid-December, staff will submit municipal consent adjustments, focused on addressing safety concerns, as well plans for the planned Blue Line Extension LRT for review as potential traffic and floodplain impacts for the 13-mile line, and approval by Hennepin County and the corridor cities which promises to connect thousands of residents in the cor- of Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and ridor with jobs. Brooklyn Park. Plans will be available for public view in the Blue Line Ex- tension Project Office on the second floor of the Crystal Gallery Shopping Center at 5514 West Broadway Ave. in Crystal as well as libraries on the corridor and on the project’s website, www.bluelineext.org. APPROVAL continued on next page tice for estimating and revising the cost of large public works projects. The updated cost estimate also adds two years of inflation at a 3 percent escalation factor per year, due to the more accurate timeline for construction of the project. The previous cost estimate and scope developed by the Henne- pin County Regional Railroad Authority in 2012 was based off very early and limited information available at just 1 percent of engineering work. At this point, project partners have not committed funding for construction of the line. Above: The revised project scope includes a park-and-ride When completed, the expanded METRO Blue Line will offer at the Golden Valley Road Station. a one-seat ride from the Target Northern Campus in Brook- lyn Park to the Mall of America in Bloomington, with stops The project’s Corridor Management Committee approved throughout Minneapolis and at the VA and MSP International the $1.496 billion updated cost estimate on Nov. 12. The Airport. With its cross-metro reach, the Blue Line Extension elected officials and public representatives on the committee will assist residents from Minneapolis and the northwest recommended including a park-and-ride at Golden Valley communities in getting to work and school. About half of the Road Station, reconstructing the intersection of Golden Val- corridor’s residents are people of color, and the project area ley Road and Theodore Wirth Parkway and improving trail communities are some of the region’s most rapidly diversify- connections to the station. ing areas. The project updates and cost estimates are based on a 15 The map on the next page shows route and proposed sta- percent level of detail, which is a standard engineering prac- tions for the Blue Line Extension. for news updates, project Visit us online at 2 www.BlueLineExt.org information and events Cost estimate in line with peer projects around the country The updated cost estimate of $1.496 billion for the 13-mile, San Diego’s 10.9-mile, nine-station Mid Coast Corridor LRT 11-station Blue Line Extension is at the low end of peer Project, which is also in the Project Development phase like projects around the country. Blue Line Extension, has a $2.112 billion cost estimate. The 7.3-mile, 10-station Milwaukie LRT Project in Portland, Projects have cost estimates until receiving an FFGA, which Ore., has a $1.49 billion budget after receiving its Full is when their budgets are set. Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA), the federal govern- ment’s contract to pay half of the capital costs. The cost estimate for the revised project scope is based on a review of the $1 billion cost estimate included in the Houston’s 11.3-mile, 19-station University Corridor LRT Proj- project’s Draft EIS in light of additional engineering and en- ect, which is in the Engineering phase, has a $1.563 billion vironmental work. For more about this process, see page 4. cost estimate. APPROVAL from previous page METRO Blue Line Extension (Bottineau LRT) A guide to reading the plans will be produced and avail- Operation and Maintenance able on the website, and outreach staff will be available by Facility (OMF) December 2015 Oak Grove Parkway appointment to help understand the documents, which are E V engineering blueprints for the line. To contact them, see: A http://bit.ly/1S9ltQo. 93rd Avenue 93RD AVE Y 610 E A V Connecting LRT / Rail A W D OS S E O E A N Planned Station O A Z R Light Rail B A Minnesota state law (473.3994) requires municipal con- Alignment 85th Avenue 85TH AVE Existing Station T C sent, which means local approval of an LRT system’s physical S O E Light Rail Stations R M A P L E W D 8 B R O OK LY N PAR K GR O V E 1 design components including tracks, bridges, stations, roads 0 0.5 1 2 B and support structures. R O O Miles Brooklyn Blvd. K L Y N B B N L S V F D C The municipal consent process allows for public input on the O R Eagle R 94 I D O preliminary design plans. Input from the public can come 169 R B R O OK LY N C EN T E R 63rd Avenue at the public hearings that each city and Hennepin County B will hold, by email, online submissions or written comments. ASS LA K E RD T w For each city, comments from the public should focus on the i n Bass Lake Road C L O R A D physical design of the LRT alignment within the municipal NE W H O P E T 8 1 S E 100 V Y A boundaries. R A 44TH AVE K R OB B IN S - C T 42ND AVE E N DA L E N I C r W yst R a Robbinsdale E On Jan. 19, 2016, the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin D l V S A A E L L 94 G A County Board of Commissioners and Hennepin County Re- U D O N D Y L gional Railroad Authority will hold a joint public hearing at 6 M IN NE A P OM LI S I S S I p.m. at Hennepin County’s Minneapolis Central Library at 300 S S I P . GOLDEN VAL LEY RD P d Golden Valley Road I lv Nicollet Mall, in Minneapolis. The meeting will follow a public y e B n e e e ite ld w v h e l S A i ai W F r R open house beginning at 5 p.m. n t sta n n e rth Plymouth Ave a g No Pe V ar OLSON MEM. THWY R GO L DE N IV 55 ER VAL L E Y 5 35W ion TH GLENWOOD AVE ns By early March 2016, the five corridor cities and the county e ST xt E RO e MET in en L Downtown Gre n M would need to act on plans for their jurisdictions. Each city re e Line G Minneapolis E 394 T R O B and the county will announce the dates, times and locations l u e L i Cedar n e of their municipal consent meetings on their websites. Above: The revised project scope includes 11 stations. Then, in August 2016, staff will finalize 30 percent design plans and specifications and apply with the Federal Transit V:\0010_GIS\CommunicaCitiestions\BlueLineExten sialongon\BlueLineExt_Bas ic_theDec2015sc opproposede_LgType.mxd route will review detailed plans during the municipal consent process. Administration to enter the Engineering phase of the project. TRACKING THE BLUE LINE EXTENSION Issue 4 December 2015 for news updates, project Visit us online at www.BlueLineExt.org information and events 3 Necessary infrastructure includes more bridges, retaining walls, additional station Within the updated scope, project staff now recommend eight additional bridges for a total of 14 (eight LRT, five roadway and one pedestrian), more retaining walls, full reconstruction instead of partial reconstruction of Highway 55, an additional 11th station (Plymouth Avenue), freight rail requirements and soil mitigation. Also recommended are two additional light rail vehicles and a park-and-ride at Bass Lake Road Station in Crystal. Intersection of Highway 55 and North Seventh Street looking east toward downtown Minneapolis. Blue Line Extension LRT These adjustments are based on engineering work and envi- trains would operate in the middle of Hwy. 55. ronmental studies over the past year by project staff; project advisory committees made up of community and business representatives; county and city public works; planning and community development staff; and elected officials. Scope changes in each city include: Minneapolis: The Blue Line Extension’s route down Highway 55 will also include the reconstruction of the highway, along with pedestrian improvements. The project office is work- ing closely with the city of Minneapolis and MnDOT on the design of these new elements. Golden Valley: The Plymouth Avenue Station, including a structure for an elevator and stairs, is now part of the design. There are also notable changes at the Golden Valley Road Station. Those include a park-and-ride facility, reconstruc- tion of the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Theodore Looking west toward Golden Valley, Blue Line Extension Wirth Parkway, and improved trail connections.