FTA Signs off on Metro Council’s Blue Line Extension Environmental Review
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Metropolitan Council
MINNEAPOLIS - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has signed the Amended Record of Decision for Metropolitan Council's Blue Line Extension's Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS).
The Blue Line Extension project is a 13.4-mile light rail line that will connect downtown Minneapolis to North Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park. In July, RT&S reported the Metropolitan Council launched the first of a video series that seeks to explain the project as it moves through the design and engineering process.
The signed Amended Record of Decision is a milestone for the Blue Line Extension project and “clears the way” for final design and construction, according to the Metropolitan Council. The environmental documents reportedly outline strategies to address other impacts and opportunities for the project, including parking, noise pollution, and more. The action from the FTA allows the project to include the following for nearby residents during construction:
$5 Million Business Support Program
This program seeks to assist businesses impacted during construction. For those businesses impacted, they are eligible for up to $30,000 each in rent assistance for maintaining economic stability.
$5 Million Community Investment Fund
This program provides funding to organizations that serve the community. Funds will go toward rent and housing cost assistance, “specifically designed to help existing residents remain in their neighborhoods.”
In the fall, the Metropolitan Council will begin a “public engagement process” that will inform the development of the programs outlined above “once a Full Funding Grant Agreement is awarded.”
Hennepin County Board Chair Irene Fernando said, “This is the first time this type of support for residents and businesses impacted by construction has been included in a major project in Minnesota. . . The Blue Line Extension will connect thousands of people to new opportunities to work, go to school, and access healthcare. it is a generational investment in communities where many people rely on transit to get where they need to go every day.”
Fernando continued, “Light rail projects, more than any other mode of transit, generate significant economic and community investment. This project will unlock long-overdue investment in some of our state’s most vibrant communities. The strategies included in this project’s environmental documents will help make sure this investment benefits the people there today and the generations that will follow.”
Metropolitan Council Chair Charlie Zelle said, “This milestone represents a significant investment in our region’s future. . . It brings us closer to advancing our regional transit vision to create jobs, improve mobility, and strengthen communities.”
