Take a ride on the U train

Pioneer Press Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:56:41 -0600
U's pressure for its light-rail plan alarms partners

The University of Minnesota is not on board the Central Corridor. Still. Whether that's a correction, clarification or reversal of the U's position is a matter of debate â€" and consternation â€" especially considering a key state funding provision for the project lies in limbo at the Capitol. Regardless, in the past several weeks, it's become increasingly clear that the institution's reservations about a plan to run light rail through the heart of campus along Washington Avenue are much more than mere reservations. Top university officials have lobbied members of Congress, stated their case in community forums and submitted a 23-page memo to federal officials, accusing project planners of railroading the route, and suggesting the Metropolitan Council's aggressive timeline could violate federal laws. The re-emergence of the conflict â€" thought by many to have been resolved this winter â€" has raised hackles of county and city officials on both sides of the river, as well inside the Met Council, the lead agency in the effort to build the $909.1 million, 11-mile line linking St. Paul and Minneapolis.

[[keywords: LandUse;Officials;Ramsey;Metro;]]