Southwest light-rail planners hear concerns at community meeting

People who live near the planned Southwest Corridor Light Rail line are getting two opportunities this week to learn about and comment on the controversial 16-mile line will connect downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie.

The first came Tuesday night at the Kenwood Community Center in Minneapolis, where several hundred residents focused on the major sticking point: How will the light rail tracks co-exist -- if at all -- with existing freight tracks, especially near Cedar Lake? The slender strip of land between Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles known as the Kenilworth Corridor is too narrow to add light rail alongside the existing freight rail and bike paths.

Planners considered rerouting the freight through St. Louis Park. But two story berms topped off with trains proved unpopular in that suburban community, so the Metropolitan Council, which is in charge of the project, gravitated toward another solution: keeping the freight where it is and putting the light rail in shallow tunnels.

The shallow tunnel proposal -- which does not have the Met Council's official approval -- would cost $160 million and has raised concerns among residents about damage to the lakes, the bike path and quality of life in the community.

Eric Larsson, 59, was among the critics last night. He said he supports public transit in general, but said taxpayers should not have to cover the cost of moving the freight tracks, or putting the light rail underground.

"We're talking about spending $160 million just to support the railroad, when they could easily be rerouting west of the Twin Cities and avoiding this section altogether," he said.

Rerouting freight is something former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the new Mayor Betsy Hodges have long supported. Hodges' policy director Peter Wagenius says the freight rail study underway could determine the best way of doing that.

"Up to now, the question has been, 'How can we do this in a way that the railroads will love it?' Not, 'What works?' If we answer the question 'what works? and we get a good answer, the idea of rerouting the freight should be very much back on the table," he said.

Met Council Chair Sue Haigh says the study will be released in three to four weeks, and the public will have another opportunity to comment. She said in October that the shallow tunnel option would be best because it preserves green space and bike trails. But yesterday she said she remained open to putting the light rail trains at ground level.

"I think the alignment of light rail in the Kenilworth Corridor is the right choice and the right alignment," Haigh said. "I think what we're going to learn from this study is that is there a different way to deal with the freight rail. Can it in fact be relocated out of this corridor in a safe and productive manner?"

Two other studies of the light rail project are also in the works. One is looking at landscaping in the Kenilworth Corridor. Another is trying to figure out how the construction work will affect Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and the channel between them.

Another open house and public meeting on project is set for Thursday evening at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center, 3700 Monterey Drive, St. Louis Park.