# Hiawatha Corridor LRT {#hiawatha-corridor-lrt .Title-1}

## Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota {#minneapolis-st.-paul-minnesota .Title-2}

(November 2003)

# Description

Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council (the local Metropolitan
Planning Organization), in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of
Transportation (MnDOT), Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Airports
Commission (MAC), are constructing an 11.6-mile light rail transit (LRT)
line within the Hiawatha Corridor. The LRT line will operate on the
Hiawatha Avenue/Trunk Highway 55 Corridor linking downtown Minneapolis,
the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), and the Mall of
America in Bloomington.

The project includes a 1.5-mile tunnel under the MSP airport runways and
taxiways, 26 light rail vehicles, and a total of 17 stations, with 12
stations on the Hiawatha Corridor, three stations in Bloomington and a
station serving the Mall of America. The project expects to serve 24,800
average weekday boardings by 2020.

The total project cost under the FFGA is \$675.43 million. The Section
5309 New Starts funding share for this project is \$334.28 million.

# Status

A Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), including a Record of
Decision (ROD) for the Hiawatha Avenue Corridor, was completed in
February 1985. FTA approved Metro Transit to initiate preliminary
engineering in January 1999. In August 1999, Metro Transit completed a
re-evaluation of the 1985 Final EIS. In April 2000, FTA issued a ROD on
the re-evaluation of the 1985 Final EIS. In the same month, the Federal
Aviation Administration also issued a Finding of No Significant Impact
on the Environmental Assessment for the project. FTA approved the
Hiawatha Corridor project's entry into final design in April 2000. FTA
and the Metropolitan Council entered into a FFGA in January 2001, with a
revenue operations date scheduled for December 2004. Construction
started in January 2001 and is 87 percent completed as of November 2003.

Section 3030(a)(91) of TEA-21 authorized the Twin Cities -- Transitway
Corridors for final design and construction. Through FY 2003, Congress
has appropriated \$227.37 million in Section 5309 New Starts funds for
the Twin Cities Transitways project, which includes the Hiawatha
Corridor light rail project.

+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| # **Reported            |                |                          |
| in Year of Expenditure  |                |                          |
| Dollars** {#reported-in |                |                          |
| -year-of-expenditure-do |                |                          |
| llars .Table-Heading-1} |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| #### Source of Funds    | **Total        | ###                      |
|                         | Funding        | # Appropriations to Date |
|                         | [(million)]    |                          |
|                         | {.underline}** |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **Federal:**            |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| Section 5309 New Starts | \$334.28       | \$227.36 million         |
|                         |                | appropriated through     |
| FFGA Commitment         |                | FY 2003                  |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| Flexible Funds          | \$ 48.50       |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **State:**              |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| Minnesota Legislature   | \$120.10       |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **Local:**              |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| Hennepin County         | \$ 30.55       |                          |
| Regional                |                |                          |
|                         |                |                          |
| Rail Authority          |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **Subtotal (Federal     | **\$533.43**   |                          |
| Project):**             |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| Metropolitan Airports   | \$ 142.00      |                          |
|                         |                |                          |
| Commission              |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **TOTAL**               | **\$675.43**   |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+
| **NOTE:** Sum of        |                |                          |
| figures may differ from |                |                          |
| total as listed due to  |                |                          |
| rounding.               |                |                          |
+-------------------------+----------------+--------------------------+

MAP