Who would have thought that when former Gov. Jesse Ventura began his term as our Governor on January 8, 1999, that we would be riding a new light rail train connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America just five years later?
OK, five and half years later. The Hiawatha line opened for business on June 26, 2004.
Really. Be honest. I think we’re all pretty used to the way government sometimes handles large capital projects: plan, plan, plan, litigate, re-plan, get the money, start the project, litigate, re-start the project, get more money and finally – finish the project.
So would you have guessed that a project like the Hiawatha LRT line could have been completed and operational in about a five year time frame? Not me…and I work for the government.
But this is precisely why I think we should all be paying attention to the planning process for the Southwest LRT. That’s the proposed route and station sites in the graphic to the left.
This is a serious project that is on the table right now. There was an interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times titled “Administration Loosens Purse Strings for Transit Projects.” You can click on the article title for a link to the story. Federal money for this project might be part of what is being loosened up.
Hmmmm. It could happen. Be ready.
