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MAC to take the chill off Humphrey Terminal stroll
Long walk in parking ramps from Humphrey Terminal to LRT coming to an end.
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Spurred by complaints about the long and sometimes cold walk from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport's Humphrey terminal to the light-rail station, the Metropolitan Airports Commission on Monday approved a $17 million expansion and skyway to keep passengers in climate-controlled comfort for the entire trek.
Now, passengers walk through the second level of two parking ramps, a five- to 10-minute walk. On Monday, dozens of passengers toting luggage walked between rows of cars or empty stalls.
"It's bad enough this time of year, but it's really uncomfortable when it's 20 below," said Dennis Probst, the MAC's executive director of planning and development.
Complaints from travelers, a good bidding climate, additional unexpected federal funding and some leftover bond money helped to move the project forward, he said.
The $17 million includes an extension of the north end of the terminal, new elevators and escalators and the skyway, which will connect to an existing corridor along the north end of the Orange Ramp that will bring passengers to the station. The entire passageway will be climate-controlled. Probst expects the skyway project to be done by December 2010, except for moving walkways that will be added later.
Zach Burns of Eagan, who was walking through the ramps Monday so he could catch the light rail to the Lindbergh terminal, said he could see how the walk could make people uneasy, especially at night.
In the winter, "you'd freeze," he said. "Especially if you're coming from a warm state."
SUZANNE ZIEGLER
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