I am all for this. It completes the triangle, and preserves a faster connection to the airport/MOA from downtown St. Paul. I hope whoever is picked to develop the Ford site will have the imagination and wherewithal to creatively incorporate station(s) into the ultimate design of the site if this routing goes through. However, my main concerns are as follows:There seems to be a lot of talk within the TAC and PAC about the "Y" option, which would serve both the Ford site, 46th Street Station, and the airport. If possible, this seems like the best route to put forward.
1. How the politics of proposing the Ford Site/Ford Parkway routing will shake out. Neighbors for a Livable St. Paul and other Highland residents who wanted to stop the Ford Plan on the basis of increased traffic will lash out against anything that goes over the Ford Parkway bridge, shared lanes be damned. I bet they feel pretty burned by the Ford Plan, and the perception (rightly or wrongly) of another large project being 'shoved' down their throats will no doubt inflame even larger resistance than that of the Ford Plan.
2. How will the geometry of the connection to the 46th St. station shake out? That particular intersection seems near inhospitable with rail line coming from the east.