Word on the Streets

Minneapolis BAC tours the Southwest LRT route

The Southwest LRT: a brief history

The idea of a light rail transit corridor connecting the wealthy southwestern suburbs to downtown Minneapolis was born in 1988, in a plan by Hennepin County (PDF). As the plan for the train rolls toward actualization, resistance to the plan has gained momentum. The grassroots organization LRT Done Right demands no colocation and asks the Met Council to re-examine the alignment of the SWLRT, and Nick Magrino from Streets.mn (and many others) would prefer to start the planning process from scratch, and re-route the SWLRT through dense neighborhoods in south Minneapolis. We've written about our desire to see SWLRT built (it will be a great project) while protecting the Kenilworth Trail here on our blog. This opposition has caused the Met Council to postpone decisions, and just this week, Hennepin County asked them to bring in more consultants. The project seems to be slowing down.

So now might be a good time to take a look at the prospective route. On Wednesday, August 28th, the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) and a few hangers-on went on a bike tour of the proposed route for the Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) corridor, guided by Sophia Ginis from the Met Council, Peter Wagenius from Mayor Rybak's office, and Simon Blenski from the City of Minneapolis. The tour stopped at the Van White Memorial Bridge, the junction of the Cedar Lake and Kenilworth trails (where a Penn Avenue station will be built), and the Kenilworth corridor's infamous pinch point just north of where it meets the Midtown Greenway.

The Van White Bridge

The recently-opened Van White Bridge passes over the site of a planned SWLRT station. An elevator will connect the bridge and the station, and there is no plan for a nearby parking lot. The Met Council is "not assuming this will be a high-ridership station," Sophia said. The authorities have been talking to developers, who plan to build an office and residential complex near the station. This future development, along with the prospect of better connection to other parts of Minneapolis, excites the Harrison neighborhood.

The photograph to the left shows the Van White Memorial Bridge in the background. The train station would be under the bridge's highest point.

Future Penn Station

With the Kenwood water tower looming to our south, we stopped near the site of the future Penn Avenue station. It was here that the tour guides shared some hard truths about the SWLRT plan:

The construction would cause two years of closures for cyclists using the Kenilworth and Cedar Lake trails.

To accomodate LRT in the Kenilworth corridor, 600 trees would have to be removed.

If LRT and freight rail are colocated in the Kenilworth corridor, 1000 trees would have to go.

The Kenilworth pinch point

Just north of where the Kenilworth Trail meets the Midtown Greenway, the trail is squeezed between townhomes on one side and condominiums on the other, leaving only 54 feet to accomodate freight rail, LRT, and the trail's non-motorized users. There are three options, all of which offend some interested parties, and most of which will result in lawsuits.

At-grade colocation. This option would direct everything down the Kenilworth corridor, side-by-side. Cyclists and pedestrians would be next to LRT and freight rail. This would require widening the corridor by 40 feet at its narrowest point, which would require the destruction of some townhomes. This width is so the freight rail can comply with safety standards, such as buffers and crash walls.

Relocate the freight rail. Minneapolis wants St. Louis Park to move the freight rail out of the Kenilworth corridor to make room for LRT.

Dig a tunnel. Putting the LRT in a ~~deep or~~ shallow (also called a "cut-and-cover") tunnel would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price tag of the project. The engineers also warned that it could be noisier for residents near the tunnel openings.

The photograph above and to the right shows the townhomes that abut the Kenilworth corridor at its narrowest point. If you'd like to see larger versions and more photos from the bike ride, click here.

MinnPost and Streets.mn are great resources for staying informed on the latest SWLRT developments, and we'll let you know about possible impacts to bike infrastructure. Be sure to tell your Metropolitan Council member if you have concerns.

UPDATE 9/4: The Star Tribune reports that the Met Council has nixed the deep tunnel option, citing the cost of the project.

UPDATE 9/5: Since the Met Council has removed the possibility of a deep tunnel, LRT Done Right has changed their position (read about it here).

posted by | September 04, 2013

Updates from the Hennepin County Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)

The meeting was held on Monday, August 19th from 3:30-6 pm at the Transportation and Public Safety Building on the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus.

Bicycle Advisory Committee Work Plan

There was a discussion on going forward with a creation of a work plan for the BAC. This would outline the focus and initiatives of the committee and provide direction for future meetings. Many members requested additional training and information regarding bicycle infrastructure, especially with regards to cycle tracks.

It was suggested that members of the committee communicate with their commissioners and take them on bike rides so that they can experience first hand cycling in their districts. This was seen as especially important in the districts that are impacted by the Southwest light rail line.

Project updates

Rose Ryan, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Coordinator from Hennepin County, provided updates on the various bicycle infrastructure projects that are going on in the county. These include:

Minnehaha Avenue: the next public meeting regarding the restructuring of Minnehaha Avenue will be held in September.

Franklin Avenue: There will be a public meeting regarding the restriping and possible barrier for the west end of the Franklin Avenue bridge in September.

Park Avenue and Midtown Greenway intersection: There is an investigation underway to see what modifications can be made so that the Park Avenue entrance to the Midtown Greenway can be accessed safely, since the bike lane moved from the left side of the road to the right.

Southwest LRT: There will be more decisions about the project next month as the discussion continues about the possible impact on the bike trails

Hennepin County Bicycle Transportation Plan: The public outreach for feedback on the bicycle plan has begun. Postcards were passed out to council members, and they were instructed to distribute them or post them in public places. There is a public workshop planned for early October.

University of Minnesota updates and bike tour

The University of Minnesota has been making great strides in encouraging safe cycling on campus.

Their ZAP program is being used by thousands of university students, faculty and staff, and they will be partnering with Nice Ride MN for some events this fall when the students return. ZAP program participants will be able to track their bike rides by using a Nice Ride, or their personal bikes.

The University will be testing painted bike lanes on Northrop Mall, since the area sees a high amount of bike and pedestrian traffic.

There is a roundabout being tested on Pleasant Street SE and Pillsbury Drive, which will face more traffic once the buses return to Washington Avenue once the light rail starts running.

The Dinkytown greenway is now fully functional, and there is a discussion of creating a trail from the Northern Pacific Trail #9 bridge through to 2nd Street SE.

The bike tour took BAC members through to different bicycle infrastructure updates throughout campus, showcasing the separate bikeways and new facilities.

The next meeting will be held on September 16th from 4-6pm. The location has yet to be decided.

posted by | August 30, 2013

BAC Pedals Against Uphill Odds On Minnehaha Cycle Track

At Tuesday's meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee's (BAC) Engineering Subcommittee, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin informed the committee that the Hennepin County Board remained unconvinced by arguments for a cycle track on Minnehaha Avenue. He said the chances of the seven-member board approving a Minnehaha cycle track remained low.

“The Hennepin County staff is not convinced [a cycle track] is a safer alternative [for Minnehaha Avenue].” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said Minnehaha's skewed angle presents a huge design problem for bicyclist safety at intersections because of the high number of conflict points and poor visibility. McLaughlin suggested skewed roads are poor candidates for cycle tracks.

BAC member Robin Garwood disagreed with McLaughlin's analysis.

“Steve Durant with Alta is designing a cycle track for a skewed road in Seattle right now,” Garwood said.

Moreover, Garwood questioned whether the plan Hennepin County staff presented was a true cycle track.

“The county gave us side paths that cease at intersections,” Garwood said. “This group has never asked for side paths. We can't call these protected cycle tracks.”

A protected cycle track in any other city always includes some sort of intersection intervention such as striping and signals, Garwood added.

Both the BAC and the Hennepin County staff seemed to agree they had reached an impasse with almost all members of the BAC convinced of the merits of a properly executed cycle track design while the Hennepin County staff was still convinced it was a bad idea, because of safety concerns and continued worries about tree and parking impacts.

“Everyone is pretty well entrenched and everyone has taken a side.” Minneapolis Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Shaun Murphy said. “How do we break this stalemate?”

On a more hopeful note, McLaughlin estimated there's a 50/50 chance that the cycle track option on Washington Avenue will get approved, and he and other members of the staff will advocate for that option.

“We are not categorically opposed to cycle tracks,” McLaughlin said, but added he hadn't seen a viable cycle track design yet on Minnehaha.

McLaughlin asked the committee to consider other options such as enhanced bike lanes and help with those designs. He also asked whether we should revisit doing one-way cycle tracks.

BAC members reiterated the benefits of cycle tracks, especially their being more family friendly and encouraging more people to bike.

“Enhanced bike lanes don't attract new bikers,” Garwood said.

Minnehaha-area resident and BAC chair Nick Mason noted that a cycle track can add an attraction for the street that will help define the area. McLaughlin agreed with that notion and vision.

In the end, McLaughlin directed his staff to work for a constructive conversation between advocates and project engineers in hopes of breaking the stalemate and coming up with the best proposal possible.

Staff from Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy’s office noted that the Longfellow Community Council will hold a community meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. September 11th at the Tapestry Folkdance Center (3748 Minnehaha) to discuss the Minnehaha reconstruction.

posted by | August 26, 2013