I attended the SW Rail Transit Meeting out in Eden Prairie last week. I certainly hope and presume that this one at Walker Library will be better attended.
There is an important Minneapolis specific issue involved with this proposed rail line. The line will run from Eden Prairie through Minnetonka, Hopkins & St. Louis Park along an existing heavy rail corridor. A definitive path from St. Louis Park to downtown has yet to be established. One option is the Kenilwoth & Cedar Lake corridors which would bypass the vast majority of the potential riders in the neighborhoods between downtown and Lake Calhoun. Another option would be to route the line in through the Midtown Greenway corridor and north to downtown along a yet to be determined course. It is my opinion that if this Southwest rail line is to be built, it would not make much sense to bypass the dense neighborhoods of Uptown, Carag, Lyndale, East Lowry, Lowry Hill, East Isles, etc. It would, however, be the easier path to take by using the existing Kenilworth and Cedar Lake rail corridors. Certainly, it would not be an easy task to win approval of doing something so drastic as eating up two lanes of Hennepin Avenue for light rail. To me though, it seems to be a much better idea than running a train through the sparsely populated areas along the aforementioned corridors, without even considering any negative effects upon the recreational trails along those corridors. I think Minneapolitans need to make sure their voices are heard regarding the alignment proposals for this line. I suspect that there will be some sizable opposition to aligning the route through Uptown & other neighborhoods both by those within these neighborhoods as well as those traveling from the SW suburbs that will prefer a faster trip that makes less stops. They didn't have any free donuts or anything out in Eden Prairie but they will have some informative and eye-catching maps and charts. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill **************************************************** A community meeting regarding the Southwest Rail Transit Study will be held on Tuesday, May 7th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Walker Library (2880 Hennepin Avenue). The purpose of the meeting is to present an overview of the study and to solicit comments regarding the potential for rail transit in the Southwest Corridor. For questions, please contact the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority at 612.348-9260. http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/tcw/ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
