I testified last Wednesday at the Park Board meeting, where spending for a
study of tunneling under the channel was approved. Below is the cover letter
of an information packet I provided the Park Board, my testimony varied only a
little from the text.
One of the documents I provided the Park Board is my "Plan B" for SWLRT, which
would turn onto the Greenway from West Calhoun, and then tunnel under Hennepin.
When you look towards Hennepin approaching from the West on Lake Street, you
can see that Hennepin is significantly above the water level for Isles. This
needs to be nailed down, but I think it's simply visible that the bottom of an
LRT tunnel turning North under Hennepin would be above the water line.
Although I think the bus based alternative I'm promoting is better than "Plan
B", "Plan B" is clearly better than the crazy idea of permanently wrecking
Kenilworth.
It's unfortunate that tunneling under Hennepin wasn't one of the options during
the Locally Preferred Alternative process.
One variant to my "Plan B" might be worth considering -- rather than surfacing
near Dunwoody, it might make sense to continue under Hennepin, with an
underground station somewhere amid the nexus of St. Thomas, MCTC, Orchestra
Hall and the Convention Center, then surfacing just before the Royalston, and
reaching the Target Field interchange. In particular, it would probably make a
lot of sense for commerce to have a station near the Convention Center.
Cover letter to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
I appreciate the opportunity to speak briefly to you today. This information
packet has two Star Tribune Editorial Counterpoint articles I wrote this year โ
both on the subject of Transit. It also has two detailed alternative plans to
the proposed Southwest LRT plan through Kenilworth.
It is essential that you defend our park system from the danger of making a
mistake that would almost certainly be irreversible. You are right to consider
a plan to minimize the impact with a tunnel under the Kenilworth corridor
channel. But at a more basic level, Light Rail must not go through the
Kenilworth corridor -- period. It is not cost effective -- but more important,
it would be destructive to the heart of our park system.
However, to ensure this doesnโt happen, we need an alternative that will be
acceptable to all stakeholders. I have developed two detailed plans. One
would use metro mobility size busses along the proposed Southwest LRT Corridor,
but would follow the Greenway from West Calhoun to I-35W, and would then use
MNPASS lanes to reach downtown.
If we are going to do light rail, at a minimum we must send it where people
are. My โPlan Bโ would also follow the Greenway to the Uptown Transit Station
at Hennepin, but would then tunnel under Hennepin, surfacing near Dunwoody and
linking up with the proposed Southwest route at Van White Boulevard.
Unfortunately this route wasnโt among those considered for the Locally
Preferred Alternative process. Itโs better to unwind that process back to the
point where we can consider the Hennepin alternative. It goes where people
are, and it would only add minimally to the travel time, unlike routes that
would reach Nicollet and beyond, further East.
Both plans assume robust service, with five minute frequency or better, along
the Greenway from Hiawatha to Hennepin, using metro mobility busses, but moving
towards zero emission vehicles as soon as possible.
Equity is a crucial issue. As you will see both of these plans provide better
transit equity than the current SWLRT proposal. In particular, they link all
north-south bus routes in North and North East Minneapolis with five minute
service along the full length of West Broadway, and they link all of
Minneapolis North of Downtown with the Greenway.
By the way, regarding the bus system โ I recently renewed my driverโs license,
which was expired for almost a year. During that time Iโve relied exclusively
on public Transit, my bike, and rides from others. I am personally very
familiar with our current transit system.
Letโs vet what Iโm talking about -- I will be continuing to circulate a
petition calling on Metro Transit, MNDOT, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Hennepin
and Ramsey Counties to send technical experts to an all day presentation on
these plans. Part of this will be designed to demonstrate that the plans I am
proposing are at least as good as the proposed SWLRT for all stake holders.
Realistically, for this effort to succeed, opposition can and must be
neutralized.
>From January forward I will be actively promoting these plans at the
Legislature, on behalf of We the People. Today -- as a start โ I simply want
to make you aware this process is underway. In short, there are better
alternatives for Minnesotaโs Transit Future than sending Light Rail through
Kenilworth.
Bob "Again" Carney Jr.
East Harriet Farmstead
"Candidate-Journalist", "writer-wing republican"
