ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Twin Cities-area Metropolitan Council has approved an additional $200 million in funding from Hennepin County for the Southwest light rail project, which will extend the existing Green Line to Eden Prairie, Minn.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the additional construction funding increases Hennepin County’s share of the project to $878 million. It comes as a $204 million contingency fund has dwindled to $51 million.
The $2 billion project has run into a number of unexpected costs, particularly because a portion will share a narrow corridor with BNSF Railway [see “Third Twin Cities light rail line approved …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 15, 2018]. As of earlier this year, the cost of a wall separating the light rail and BNSF tracks had increased by 350% [see “Digest: New MBTA subway cars have derailed six times …,” News Wire, March 24, 2021].
The 14.5-mile, 16-station extension is the most expensive public works project in Minnesota history, now estimated to cost $2 billion.
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