Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT

[MNdible]

The bridge designs over the Kenilworth Channel were approved by the MPRB.

Seems like a good compromise. Three separate bridges for bike/ped, LRT, and freight. The clearspan arches nicely reference other nearby bridges without being ticky-tacky faux historical. The freight bridge will have piers in the river, presumably due to higher loads.

[David Greene]

I like the designs, but:

"Low walls at each edge of the LRT bridge to contain noise generated from light rail vehicle wheels."

It's a straight shot, right? There will be hardly any noise at all. I'm not strenuously objecting or anything but it just seems a little silly.

[HiawathaGuy]

I like the designs, but:

"Low walls at each edge of the LRT bridge to contain noise generated from light rail vehicle wheels."

It's a straight shot, right? There will be hardly any noise at all. I'm not strenuously objecting or anything but it just seems a little silly.

I rolled my eyes and thought the same thing! People are dumb. The freight rail that moves through this corridor is far more noisy and disruptive. But reality hasn't been this area's stronghold.

[MNdible]

It would probably send the nearby residents into apoplexy, but maybe they should try to accommodate a trail down at channel level that would sneak underneath the bridges? It could connect up from Dean Parkway to the public trail that circumnavigates Cedar Lake.

[froggie]

Although the Park Board does own some narrow (and I mean NARROW...only 10ft wide in spots) strips of land along both the Cedar Lake shore and along the channel, they don't own enough to do what MNdible suggests. In particular: the south side of the channel between the railroad and Burnham Rd is all privately owned. There would also be wetlands and water runoff issues along the whole thing.

The only potential path along the channel that I could see being even remotely feasible (given land ownership and available space) is along the south side of Kenilworth Pl west of Lake of the Isles Pkwy and connecting to the Kenilworth Trail on the north side of the channel. This could POSSIBLY be extended underneath the bridges similar to what MNdible suggests, but you could only get it as far as Burnham Rd.

[MNdible]

Yeah, I was mostly joking.

It could connect up from Dean Parkway to the public trail that circumnavigates Cedar Lake.

Thought that would be a dead give away.

[froggie]

I was using the rationale that Cedar Lake Pkwy + Cedar Lake Trail + Kenilworth Trail = circumnavigating the lake...

[David Greene]

Yeah, I was mostly joking.

It could connect up from Dean Parkway to the public trail that circumnavigates Cedar Lake.

Thought that would be a dead give away.

Seriously though, when are we going to finish that path?

I'm sick of dock squatters.

[grant1simons2]

New flyover video



The first one has 32,000 views

[Nick]

***those views are mostly from me.

I actually kinda liked that concept that looked like it was screened with wood, but at this point *shrugs emoji* of course.

[Anondson]

The video makes much more clear just how many bridges are being built south of Shady Oak Station.

[grant1simons2]

http://www.metrocouncil.org/Council-Mee ... T-ppt.aspx

Update given to the Met Council Transportation Committee. Shows some station design renderings.

[Munch'n]

New flyover video



The first one has 32,000 views

Cool video,I can't wait for this one.

[intercomnut]

An in-depth article about the upcoming showdown between SouthWest Transit and SWLRT.

[MNdible]

It's an interesting article, but I'm struck by the comparison they didn't make -- nobody seriously proposed shutting down the 94 bus service when the Green Line opened up. Sure, there's some overlap between the services, but they're really not intended to serve the same roles.

[Anondson]

Yeah. There is a case to be made any reasonably sited corridor can have an express service and a separate local service. Express may be a premier need to shave time, so is an HOV lane with the pass.

[Wedgeguy]

So do they really over lap that much? Is SW mainly just an express bus out to EP's SW station and not much else? Never taken it so I'm not sure if they have stops elsewhere along the trip into MPLS?

[Tcmetro]

SW Transit is a commuter orientated bus service. There are a few different lines:

690, 691, 692, 697, 699 - peak hour service from park and rides at SW Station, SW Village (212 and 101), Chanhassen Station (Hwy 5 and 101), East Creek Station (212 and 41), Carver Station (212 somewhere in Carver) and a couple minor stops in Chaska. Also there is some service to various neighborhoods in EP.

694 - SW Station to Best Buy and Normandale CC. This runs every 2 hours or so all day.

687 - 212 corridor to Target North Campus.

684 - Reverse Commute from Minneapolis and Southdale to Golden Triangle and industrial areas in Chanhassen and Chaska.

695 - 212 corridor to U of M

698 - midday/evening service to/from 212 corridor and Chanhassen Station to Minneapolis and U of M

Prime - Weekday dial a ride service in EP, Chanhassen, and Chaska.

[David Greene]

It's an interesting article, but I'm struck by the comparison they didn't make -- nobody seriously proposed shutting down the 94 bus service when the Green Line opened up. Sure, there's some overlap between the services, but they're really not intended to serve the same roles.

IIRC, they did reduce service hours on the 94, though.

But I agree, it's not necessarily conflicting service. But we *do* want Southwest Transit to provide local service to get people from SWLRT to/from places in EP. If their running express service cuts into their ability to do that, some choices will have to be made. And I'm pretty sure I know which choices SWT wants to make.

[MNdible]

Sure.

But as the article underlines, running suburban circulator service requires massive subsidies. Like, truly astonishing subsidies. Like, we'd really in this case actually be better off just paying for people's cab fares subsidies. Like, almost (but not quite) as bad as Northstar subsidies.