In this edition...
  • METRO Green Line Extension Site Tour
  • Move Minneapolis Holiday Office Hours
  • Keeping up with Paris' Commute Revolution 
  • Foundation Technologies Offers Metropass
  • Hourcar Affordability Plan and Translation Service
Laying Tracks on the Green Line Extension
Cantilever bridge over Excelsior Blvd in Hopkins / Southwest Station in Eden Prairie

Minnesota’s largest ever public works project, the $2 billion METRO Green Line Extension, also known as Southwest LRT, is rounding up its second year of heavy construction. Starting from Target Field station in downtown, the 14.5-mile light rail line includes 16 stations, dozens of bridges, and two tunnels as it weaves southwest to Eden Prairie. The extended light rail will connect the region’s housing, jobs, health centers, recreation, and other daily needs.

Metro Transit recently coordinated a guided tour of the project for a group from the Minneapolis Regional Chamber including Move Minneapolis. This was one of a series of tours offered to community organizations, businesses, and members of the public since this summer. The tours have been popular and help educate surrounding communities about the project that will serve Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie. 

Outfitted with hardhats and blaze orange vests, guests were ushered into a passenger van at the Blake Road station site in Hopkins. As front-end loaders pushed mounds of dirt nearby, Jim Alexander, METRO Green Line Extension Project Director, who guided the tour, assessed the progress, “We are about 50% done with the civil construction, and once that is completed the systems contractor will work on the electrification of the project”. The foundation of the line is already in place along with portions of the infrastructure.
The tour’s highlights included the massive arched concrete span of a cantilever box girder bridge over Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins, newly laid track at the nearly completed Downtown Hopkins station, and a bicycle and pedestrian tunnel under Blake Road. The terminus of the line is at a large new parking complex built on top of 400 pilings at the Southwest station in Eden Prairie.    

Alexander explained that every construction milestone adds to the excitement as the line takes shape in each community. To complement the new transit line, new housing projects have sprouted along the route. Over $1.6 billion in housing has been built or is planned along the corridor. Residents living within a half mile of the line will have multi-modal transportation options available and be less dependent on cars. Sam O’Connell, Assistant Director for Community Affairs at Metro Transit, highlighted the diversity of the communities that will be served by the project. By 2035, the population within ½ mile of the proposed stations is expected to grow by 56 percent to 55,800.
The METRO Green Line Extension is a multi-modal project. Running parallel to the light rail are three major bike commuting routes into downtown from the West Metro: the North Cedar Lake trail, the Kenilworth trail, and the Cedar Lake trail. Rail construction has temporarily closed sections of the routes as new bike infrastructure is being installed. The Cedar Lake Trail will reconnect the Greenway to Hopkins by the
end of 2022.

---------------------------------------------------- Downtown Hopkins station is nearly completed

Due to some unforeseen construction challenges, an exact opening date for Southwest LRT is hard to say, however project leaders hope to have an updated schedule soon. When in operation, Southwest LRT is projected to have a daily ridership of 30,000 by 2030.
Move Minneapolis 2021 Holiday Office Hours

The Move Minneapolis office will be open for walk-in service:
10am-2pm
December 20-22 and
December 27-29

Our office will be closed on December 23, 24, 30, and 31.
Keeping up with Paris' Commute Revolution 
Over the last five years, Paris has transformed its streetscape, prioritizing multimodal transportation. Looking forward, they intend to become a ‘100% cycling city’ within the next five. Move Minneapolis’ Karl Hedlund recently returned from a visit in November - explore how the city of lights embraces safe and sustainable streets through one of his favorite activities, a bike ride to the farmer’s market.

Read Karl's full: Blog Post
Foundation Technologies Offers Metropass

Foundation Technologies, located on Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, is the latest company to offer Metropass to employees. Metropass is the gold standard of transit passes, featuring unlimited rides on all regional buses and trains, 24/7. The Metropass is available on a pre-tax basis, and employers can subsidize some or all of the employee cost. Move Minneapolis can help organizations with questions or to get set up with the Metropass - contact us today to join the ranks of happy Metropass holders!
Hourcar Affordability Plan and Translation Service

Hourcar, the Twin Cities carsharing nonprofit, gives back to the community. After conducting their first-ever Community Engagement Report, Hourcar found that affordability and translation are major barriers to the use of carsharing in the Twin Cities. In response to these findings, Hourcar has introduced two new initiatives: an affordability plan, and translation services.

Access PLUS, the affordability plan, waives the one-time $25 registration fee, and includes Hourcar’s lowest rates and membership fees. Plan holders can quality for the plan by self-certifying that their household income is 50% or less of the Area Median Income.

Translation service is accessible when a caller speaks in a native language while calling Member Services, and Google Translate has been incorporated into the website.
Move Minneapolis is a 501c4 nonprofit that promotes sustainable transportation.

Support is provided by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant in partnership with the United States Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, the City of Minneapolis, MnDOT, Hennepin County, and the downtown community.