Minneapolis to Eden Prairie MN Southwest Line

Builders of the $2.7 billion Southwest light-rail line have determined that an underground concrete slab discovered while constructing a tunnel for the line in Minneapolis isn't part of the structural underpinnings of a nearby condominium building.

The impediment, which was detected last month, is a triangular 20-square-foot piece of unused concrete associated with the condos, which were built in the early 1900s as grain silos. The silos were repurposed as residential units, now known as the Cedar Isles Condominiums, in the 1980s.

Crews on Thursday sawed through and removed the slab, which is about 18 inches thick, said Trevor Roy, spokesman for the Southwest project. He said it was unclear how much removal of the slab will cost.

A tunnel for light-rail trains is being constructed within feet of the condos, using a 500-foot secant wall to provide excavation support. Construction of the wall is expected to resume in coming weeks.

The 14.5-mile Southwest line, which will connect downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, snakes through the narrow Kenilworth Corridor in Minneapolis between Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake.
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The $2.74 billion LRT project

The three-month-long rebuild of the eastbound Highway 212 off-ramp at SouthWest Station that began on April 10 marked the launch of the final season of heavy construction work on light rail in Eden Prairie. The 14.5-mile Metro Green Line Extension project has famously endured significant cost overruns and delays, political hyperbole, and clickbait headlines.
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The big delays have been along a short stretch of the Kenilworth Corridor in Minneapolis, between the Lake Street Bridge and a bit north of Cedar Lake Parkway. A tunnel is being built through a “pinch point” and difficult soils for two LRT tracks that will be shoe-horned between a single freight rail line and a high-rise condominium. The tunnel’s concrete cover will be upholstered with shrubbery, grasses and flowers, bike and hike trails, and benches. Click here for a three-minute video on tunnel construction.
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With parts of the line completed, why can’t Southwest Light Rail trains roll?

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When the Metropolitan Council first broke ground on the Hennepin County-planned project in 2018, the agency planned to open the line in 2023. Amid problems with building a tunnel in the Kenilworth corridor, the project’s opening day was delayed to 2027, with a final cost of $2.86 billion to be settled at a Dec. 11 Met Council meeting.
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Despite the challenges, much of the line from Belt Line Boulevard in St. Louis Park west to SouthWest Station is mostly complete. The overhead wires are up, the fencing is in, and the signals are waiting to be tested. Most of the trains purchased for the extension are running today on the Blue Line. And Metro Transit Route 17 buses began serving the Blake Road light rail station on Dec. 7, primarily so their drivers can use a new restroom while on breaks. All that appears to remain are the installation of Go-To card readers and ticket vending machines, which were ordered in August.

So why won’t Metro Transit, the agency that runs the region’s transit system under the Met Council, at least open the St. Louis Park to Eden Prairie segment to the riding public? It’s because there is no place along the line to maintain the trains.
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Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:16 am So why won’t Metro Transit, the agency that runs the region’s transit system under the Met Council, at least open the St. Louis Park to Eden Prairie segment to the riding public? It’s because there is no place along the line to maintain the trains.
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