Two cities that had reservations about approving plans to extend the Blue Line have given their consent to allowing work on the $3.2 billion light-rail project to move forward.
Blue Line LRT extension clears critical step despite opposition
Robbinsdale and Crystal voted to give municipal consent during meetings Tuesday night.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 2, 2024 at 4:03PM
City councils in Robbinsdale and Crystal on Tuesday gave their support for the plan, joining Brooklyn Park, which gave its consent last week.
Hennepin County approved the proposal on Tuesday, and Minneapolis is set to vote on the plan Wednesday.
The affirmative votes from the two north metro suburbs are a critical step as planning continues for the 13-mile line, which would run from downtown Minneapolis through Robbinsdale and Crystal on its way to Brooklyn Park.
Required by state law, municipal consent calls for cities and counties along a proposed light rail line to grant permission for the project to move forward. Withholding consent would not stop a project, but would require objecting cities or counties to specifically state what they don’t like and what changes they would like to see before jumping on board.
“There is no legal authority to vote no and stop it,” said Robbinsdale Mayor Bill Blonigan, who cast the deciding vote in a 3-2 decision.
Robbinsdale tabled a vote two weeks ago and sought changes to the plan that calls for tracks to run down the center of Bottineau Boulevard. The city had asked for an elevated track between 40th and 42nd avenues, a smaller park-and-ride ramp at 40th Avenue and had raised concerns about station placement at Lowry Avenue near North Memorial.
In a Sept. 25 letter to the city, the Met Council rejected the request for the raised track but said plans will “greatly enhance intersection design to maximize pedestrian safety” and moved the 40th Avenue Station to the north side of the intersection. The council also said ramp parking would be capped at 290 spaces and include a Metro Transit police substation. The council also said it will work with North Memorial and the city to address access and safety concerns with the Lowry Avenue Station.
Despite objections from some residents who have lobbied to stop the project, Blonigan voted in favor of current designs, saying “we had gotten the best we were going to get, and we will get more in cooperation than by having an adversarial relationship” with the Met Council.
With consent from the cities in hand, the project route is firmly established. In Robbinsdale and Crystal, tracks will follow Bottineau Boulevard, also known as County Road 81. Tweaks to some elements can still be made as the project is 30% designed.
Blonigan, 70, has served on the City Council for 44 years and was elected mayor in 2020. He plans to retire when his term ends at the end of the year.
The mayor told residents opposing the extension that their objections were heard and vetted. “This does not mean you were not listened to or that your concerns were not addressed.”
The Metropolitan Council projects the line could provide 12,000 to 13,000 rides a day. The line is projected to open in 2030.
Some entrants reported more than a 90 minute wait as they tried to register.
