Despite money problems with Southwest Light Rail project, officials want more for another extension

Written by RT&S Staff
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The Southwest Light Rail project has ballooned to $2.75 billion.

The Southwest Light Rail project in Minneapolis has been filled with problems, but officials are still filled with hope that more extensions can be funded.

The Hennepin County Board is asking state lawmakers for $200 million to construct a Blue Line extension from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park. With all the delays and cost overruns associated with the Green Line extension (Southwest Light Rail project), money for future rail projects might be hard to come by.  

Some lawmakers want work on the Green Line extension project to stop due to the additional funding that has been needed for construction. Currently the price for the extension sits at $2.75 billion, and Met Council cannot fully fund the project. Taxpayers will most likely have to cover the additional costs.

Officials are asking for an audit to be conducted for the Green Line extension project, but some also fear that the Federal Transit Administration could pull the plug on funding if the project is indeed stopped.

There is a hope that the federal government will contribute more funding for the Green Line work, but nothing is definitive.

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