The section of the Cedar Lake Trail under 394 had fresh asphalt laid under the bridge. Hopefully this means the section from 394 to Van White Blvd will open soon.Some construction updates based on what I've seen recently:
-the foundations for the following stations can be seen: Golden Triangle, Opus, Shady Oak, and Hopkins
-lot of electrical and utility lines can be seen where the EP Town Center and 21st Street stations will be
-the new freight rail alignment is complete between Belt Line Boulevard and Wooddale Avenue, and track has been laid between Wooddale Avenue and Blake Road
-railroad crossing panels for the light rail have been installed at 11th Avenue, the entrance to Hopkins Honda, 5th Avenue, and the entrance to Redstone Grill in Eden Prairie
-the Hopkins-Minnetonka viaduct is taking shape
-the viaduct over Prairie Center Drive looks almost done
-the trail bridge over Belt Line Boulevard looks at least half way done
-the trail tunnels under Blake Road and Wooddale Avenue look pretty much complete
-the new freight rail connection from the TC&W to the MN&S is very slowly taking shape
Green Line Extension - Southwest LRT
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1667
- Joined: March 30th, 2016, 1:26 pm
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Anyone else find the location of City West Station odd? I biked over there yesterday and the only people I can see benefiting from this are park & riders and workers at Optum who can use the train for their commute (which is probably a small number of the overall workforce).
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: November 12th, 2015, 11:35 am
- Location: Minneapolis
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
City West has always been a dubious station. It has one of the lowest projected riderships on the entire line.
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Yeah it's definitely the weakest of the "office park" stations, and that's saying something since none of them really have land use conducive to great ridership. I'm not sure even your suggested alignment makes things much better; the low-rise office parks and strip malls along Shady Oak aren't really going to generate trips, and I don't see Eden Prairie doing much better at TOD than Bloomington has with their many underused Blue Line stations. It feels like they decided that Optum was essentially the only meaningful trip generator in this segment, and then optimized for what would be fastest/easiest to build/least disruptive to cars--and to be fair, they're probably right about the first part.Anyone else find the location of City West Station odd? I biked over there yesterday and the only people I can see benefiting from this are park & riders and workers at Optum who can use the train for their commute (which is probably a small number of the overall workforce).
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
The most baffling thing to me is that they didn't even bother to add a pedestrian bridge/tunnel across the highway to Yellow Cir Dr. Not that there's much on the other side, but still, there are some parcels that will be like 500 feet from the station as the crow flies, but over a mile walk to actually get there.
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1034
- Joined: September 20th, 2017, 12:40 pm
- Location: North Loop
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
I think a lot of people with use SW Prime to access this station if they don’t own a car.Yeah it's definitely the weakest of the "office park" stations, and that's saying something since none of them really have land use conducive to great ridership. I'm not sure even your suggested alignment makes things much better; the low-rise office parks and strip malls along Shady Oak aren't really going to generate trips, and I don't see Eden Prairie doing much better at TOD than Bloomington has with their many underused Blue Line stations. It feels like they decided that Optum was essentially the only meaningful trip generator in this segment, and then optimized for what would be fastest/easiest to build/least disruptive to cars--and to be fair, they're probably right about the first part.Anyone else find the location of City West Station odd? I biked over there yesterday and the only people I can see benefiting from this are park & riders and workers at Optum who can use the train for their commute (which is probably a small number of the overall workforce).
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
The most baffling thing to me is that they didn't even bother to add a pedestrian bridge/tunnel across the highway to Yellow Cir Dr. Not that there's much on the other side, but still, there are some parcels that will be like 500 feet from the station as the crow flies, but over a mile walk to actually get there.
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1667
- Joined: March 30th, 2016, 1:26 pm
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Good point about having access to the station across 62. There's quite a few buildings in the northwest corner of 212/62 & 169 that appear to be closer to City West Station than Opus Station.Yeah it's definitely the weakest of the "office park" stations, and that's saying something since none of them really have land use conducive to great ridership. I'm not sure even your suggested alignment makes things much better; the low-rise office parks and strip malls along Shady Oak aren't really going to generate trips, and I don't see Eden Prairie doing much better at TOD than Bloomington has with their many underused Blue Line stations. It feels like they decided that Optum was essentially the only meaningful trip generator in this segment, and then optimized for what would be fastest/easiest to build/least disruptive to cars--and to be fair, they're probably right about the first part.Anyone else find the location of City West Station odd? I biked over there yesterday and the only people I can see benefiting from this are park & riders and workers at Optum who can use the train for their commute (which is probably a small number of the overall workforce).
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
The most baffling thing to me is that they didn't even bother to add a pedestrian bridge/tunnel across the highway to Yellow Cir Dr. Not that there's much on the other side, but still, there are some parcels that will be like 500 feet from the station as the crow flies, but over a mile walk to actually get there.
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- Landmark Center
- Posts: 250
- Joined: February 11th, 2018, 11:51 am
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
A bike trail across 62 connecting into existing trail networks and expanding niceride, or electric scooters would be great improvement. Maybe they won’t be done one day one but once the line is built those upgrades seems more likely. Lots of potential for growth.Anyone else find the location of City West Station odd? I biked over there yesterday and the only people I can see benefiting from this are park & riders and workers at Optum who can use the train for their commute (which is probably a small number of the overall workforce).
I realize it's too late to change the alignment, but I wanted to make a map of where I think City West Station should've been located. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Unfortunately it seems to me like the simplest time to get a ped/bike connection built (in terms of ease of construction, minimizing disruptions, and securing funding) would've been while building the station itself.
I hope you're right and the station can generate some political will for better connections in the future though!
I hope you're right and the station can generate some political will for better connections in the future though!
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1779
- Joined: May 31st, 2012, 8:02 pm
- Location: Chicago (ex-Minneapolitan)
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Here's a photo update for the Met Council meeting next week.
https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetin ... E-PPT.aspx
https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetin ... E-PPT.aspx
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1667
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Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
The photo of Opus Station appears to actually be the Golden Triangle Station.
- mckilanowski
- Block E
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- Location: Hopkins (Avenues West)
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
It's Opus. You can see the Optum building on 62 in the background.The photo of Opus Station appears to actually be the Golden Triangle Station.
Gibb's first addition. If you know, you know.
- mckilanowski
- Block E
- Posts: 16
- Joined: September 29th, 2015, 10:26 pm
- Location: Hopkins (Avenues West)
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Thanks! I liked seeing the different angle of the Shady Oak Station. I've walked past that a couple times, but you can only see it from the south. I'm looking forward to 17th being a through-street so I don't have do go so far out of my way, but I'm guessing that the station is going to be a staging area for construction materials up until the very end.Here's a photo update for the Met Council meeting next week.
https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetin ... E-PPT.aspx
Gibb's first addition. If you know, you know.
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- Wells Fargo Center
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- Location: North Loop
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1667
- Joined: March 30th, 2016, 1:26 pm
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
How much, if any, construction can get done now that it looks like we finally have snow for the rest of the season?
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- IDS Center
- Posts: 4672
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- Location: Where West Minneapolis Once Was
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
Bridge beams can still be placed, right?
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
You can do as much as you want it just costs more and takes more time with snow clearing, frost ripping, heating the concrete etc. They are still working on the bridge in the Glenwood area and at excelsior boulevard as far as I know.
Looking at those photos though I would bet that this wont be ready by 2023 seeing as there are still quite a few bridges left and the BNSF Crash wall and they haven't even started any of the power and signals yet.
Looking at those photos though I would bet that this wont be ready by 2023 seeing as there are still quite a few bridges left and the BNSF Crash wall and they haven't even started any of the power and signals yet.
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- Wells Fargo Center
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: November 12th, 2015, 11:35 am
- Location: Minneapolis
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
SWLRT pushing back its opening date, now 2024 at least, due to construction issues (somehow they are still discovering new soil problems on the chosen alignment).
There were some other clues that the schedule might be pushed back, now we've got confirmation.
There were some other clues that the schedule might be pushed back, now we've got confirmation.
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
The Kenilworth alignment is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
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- IDS Center
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- Joined: July 21st, 2013, 8:57 pm
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Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
I’m shocked, shocked there are poor glacial soils here.
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- Wells Fargo Center
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- Joined: September 20th, 2017, 12:40 pm
- Location: North Loop
Re: Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension)
I read the official press release, and it only says potential delays, and the tweets never said 2024, I was always under the assumption the project would open Spring 2023, could it just get pushed back to Fall 2023?SWLRT pushing back its opening date, now 2024 at least, due to construction issues (somehow they are still discovering new soil problems on the chosen alignment).
There were some other clues that the schedule might be pushed back, now we've got confirmation.
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