Overview

The Central Corridor refers to an area roughly four blocks north and south of an 11-mile proposed rapid transit route from downtown St Paul to downtown Minneapolis. The proposed route begins at the Union Depot in downtown St Paul, winds up to the State Capitol and runs along University Avenue to the Minneapolis border west of Highway 280, then through the University of Minnesota campus, and across the Washington Avenue bridge, joining the Hiawatha Line next to the Metrodome.

Central Corridor planning will proceed on two separate "tracks" — light rail planning and land use/development planning.

The light rail timeline will address planning and funding for building of the actual LRT line. This is a multi-agency effort, involving a number of partners: Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, Hennepm County Regional Railroad Authority, City of St Paul, City of Minneapolis, Metropolitan Council, and the University of Minnesota.

The land use/development planning timeline will be a separate effort to create a vision and development strategy for land use along University Avenue in Saint Paul, to be adopted as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan. A community-based Task Force , appointed by the Saint Paul Planning Commission, will take the lead on this effort.

Light Rail & Development Timelines:

Light Rail Planning		Development Planning
1999-2006 - Alternatives Analysis Conducted by Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority (RCRRA) and Central Corridor Coordinating Committee (CCCC). Financial and planning assistance from Metropolitan Council, University of Minnesota, & State of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT).		March 3,1999- St Paul Comprehensive Plan adopted by City Council subject to review.
2000-2002 - Scoping Process- Narrowed transit options to three - light rail, rapid bus transit, or upgrade current bus system. Decided on University Avenue route.		February 10,2000- Comprehensive Plan approved by the Metropolitan Council as part of revised St Paul Comprehensive Plan.
2002-2004 ~ RCRRA commissioned a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that was completed in July 2004, analyzing impacts of three alternative options.		January 9,2002- St Paul Comprehensive Plan adopted by the St Paul City Council.
2004-2006 ~ RCRRA, with assistance of the Metropolitan Council, calculated a Cost Efficiency Index for the project. The Cost Efficiency Index is an abstract measure (that factors project cost, projected ridership and travel time together) that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) uses to rank new applications for transit funding.		December 15,2004— Regional Transportation Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Council.
April 2006— Cost Efficiency Index accepted by the FTA. Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released for public comment.		March 2006— Mayor Coleman announces 13-17 person Task Force to develop a Central Corridor Development Strategy.
April - June 2006- DEIS published April 21st. 45-day public comment period begins. Four public hearings scheduled in May. Deadline for written public comments to be received, June 5th.		April 2006- Task Force appointed.
June 6, 2006- The CCCC will designate the Locally Preferred Alternative by choosing between light-rail transit and bus rapid transit, both along University Avenue.		May - June 2006- Task Force begins work. Citizens from diverse neighborhoods are represented, along with planners and Transit Oriented Development experts.
August 2006?Once the Locally Preferred Alternative is designated, the FTA will allow the Central Corridor project to move into'Preliminary Engineering.
September 2006?Once the FTA approves the DEIS and Local Preferred Alternative, Preliminary Engineering can begin. In the 2005 state bonding bill, the State of Minnesota reserved $5.25 million dollars for the non-federal share of Preliminary Engineering. The FTA will match this amount.
2006 - 2008 - Preliminary Engineering (PE) will probably take about two years. During the PE phase, Metropolitan Council and MNDOT will provide day-to-day management of the Central Corridor project. The project will be overseen by a Central Corridor Management Committee, replacing the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee. A Citizen's Advisory Committee may also be appointed.		2007 - Task Force completes first draft of Central Corridor Strategic Plan.
2008 - 2009 - Final Design can begin once the FTA accepts the DEIS and PE results. The FTA requires that one-half the non-federal share be committed before the Final Design phase begins. This means that the State of Minnesota, Ramsey County and Hennepin County collectively may need to have a total $205 million reserved by the end of 2008.
2010 - 2013 - Once the FTA approves the Final Design and the other half of the non-federal share of funding is committed, construction can begin, the other half of the non-federal share be committed before construction begins.