Fourth Street in downtown St. Paul is reopened to traffic after crews substantially completed utility relocation and road construction the day before Thanksgiving. In December, crews will finish installing pavers, lights, traffic signals and pole foundations for the overhead system of wires that will power the light-rail trains.

Work in 2011 and 2012 will involve laying tracks, building stations and installing the electrical and communication systems.

In the Minnesota State Capitol area, private utility relocation began this past summer, and public utility relocation and heavy construction began after Labor Day on Robert and 12th streets north of Interstate 94. The work will be substantially done in November 2011.

On the East Bank of Minneapolis, crews have substantially completed road improvements started over the summer to prepare streets around Washington Avenue to handle more traffic when it is converted into a transit mall. Washington will be closed to traffic in May 2011 after University of Minnesota classes end so work can begin on the future transit mall. This work will continue through August 2012.

In the beginning of October, Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy began work to relocate and upgrade utility lines that are underground on the West Bank near Cedar and Washington avenues. CenterPoint has completed its work on Washington. Xcel work will continue into early 2011 depending on weather. Construction on the West Bank and work to strengthen the Washington Avenue bridge will be substantially complete in November 2012.

In mid-November, crews paved Fourth Street in front of the Sibley Square Ramp.

Heavy construction for the Central Corridor LRT Project on University Avenue will begin in March 2011 at Emerald Street and progress eastward to Hamline Avenue through November. Properties between Hamline and Robert Street will have another year to prepare before construction begins in their area in March 2012.

Pre-construction activities began this fall between Emerald and Hamline. Crews painted utility markings so utilities would know where to dig small holes to confirm locations of underground lines before beginning utility relocation. Temporary traffic signal poles were installed in November before the ground froze so existing traffic signal poles can be removed next spring to make room for road and sidewalk reconstruction.

Contractor crews have completed examinations of buildings fronting University Avenue to note their current conditions before construction starts.

The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project will link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis along Washington and University avenues via the state Capitol and the University of Minnesota. Construction began in late summer 2010 on the planned 11-mile Central Corridor line. Service will begin in 2014. The line will connect with the Hiawatha LRT line at the Metrodome station in Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter rail line at the Target Field Station.