$10 million fix to Red Line will save time and money

A detour that has annoyed passengers and been a major stumbling block in the operations of Minnesota's first bus rapid transit route — making it less than rapid — received $9.7 million for a fix Wednesday.

The Red Line's stop in Eagan currently includes a backtracking detour onto local streets. A new Cedar Grove transit station will be built in the median of Cedar Avenue S., allowing buses to run similarly to light rail. A pedestrian overpass will connect the station to a park and ride lot.

Dakota County's goal in the creation of the route between Apple Valley and the Mall of America was to offer a seamless bus system that operated like rail but cost far less to build. Commissioners said that the Cedar Grove stop has been the break in that plan since the line started operating last summer.

"Once we get the center station in, it's going to just really make the whole line pop," Dakota County Commissioner Paul Krause said. "That's the big bump in the road and now we have the funding, and we're going to go right to work on it."

He thinks the Metropolitan Council's projection of a 40,000 annual increase in riders underestimates the impact of this improvement. The newly opened Twin Cities Premium Outlets mall near the station will spur usage, commissioners said.

"As we grow, we want to be ready for the future. This is what we have to do," Krause said.

The new stop will trim more than 10 minutes off riders' round trips, which are currently about 52 minutes. It is expected to save $293,000 in Red Line operational costs annually.

Enough to stay?

The Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) approved the $9.7 million grant Wednesday. The transit station is expected to cost $13 million, with Dakota County and the state each covering 10 percent of the total bill.

CTIB is made up of Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington counties, which have been using a quarter-cent sales tax and $20 motor vehicle sales tax to fund transit projects since 2008.

For years, there have been sporadic complaints from various politicians and county officials about their community not getting its fair share.

In July, some Dakota County commissioners questioned whether their annual $14 million investment was worthwhile. They noted that the light-rail lines added in the west metro far outweigh the cost of projects in Dakota County.

The nearly $10 million to improve the Red Line "certainly keeps us engaged for the time being," Commissioner Tom Egan said. But he said that the county is constantly gauging its investment in CTIB and when it looks at the cost of light rail, "we're going to have to ask some critical questions very soon."

Krause, who will soon retire from the commission, was less wary than Egan. The county needs to make sure it gets its share, but no other group has accomplished what CTIB has done, he said.

"I think that we've done very, very well," Krause said.

Peter McLaughlin, chairman of CTIB and a Hennepin County commissioner, joked that as chair of the board his role is teaching members the old Ruby and the Romantics song, "Our Day Will Come."

It can take a while to get a project like the Cedar Grove Transit Station "teed up," he said, but now the board is moving forward with the funding.

"That's a big deal. That's how you keep people in the fold. It's about a regional vision. In this region, we went for years not building projects. … That's because we were arguing among ourselves," McLaughlin said, but by working together the counties have added numerous large projects.

Jessie Van Berkel • 952-746-3280

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482