Funding worth US$200 million has been approved for the Southwest light-rail by the Metropolitan Council in Hennepin County, Minnesota. This is the seventh time funding for the project has been amended. The Southwest light-rail project’s original US$204 million contingency budget for unexpected costs has been depleted partly because of construction challenges in the states’ Kenilworth corridor. About US$51 million remains in the fund. Work in the corridor has been complicated because light rail and freight trains will share a narrow passage, along with a pedestrian and cyclist trail. The site is close to Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake and several residential buildings.
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The US$2 billion project is the most expensive public works project in Minnesota state history. It has encountered unexpected costs that will likely inflate its current price tag although it is currently unclear by how much. “Obviously, when you build a project that is the largest in the state of Minnesota, things will happen,” said Christopher Ferguson, a Met Council Member. He also added that the council will follow the project closely. The council’s Transportation Committee also recently approved a change order of up to US$30 million to cover a different method of excavation needed to build a tunnel for light-rail trains in the Kenilworth corridor.
“Cost overruns are always undesirable, but we appreciate the magnitude and complexity of this project and recognize unforeseen challenges are bound to arise when constructing a public works infrastructure project of this scale,” County Board Chairwoman Marion Greene said, “if decisionmakers had understood the true costs before the bulldozers started rolling, they might have chosen a better route, one that more Minneapolis residents, and a more diverse population, could have conveniently used.” Southwest “will connect residents across our region to some of the largest employers in Minnesota, and it’s already resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in new developments along the line,” said Commissioner Chris LaTondresse.
