Streetcar from St. Paul to Airport Takes an Initial Step Forward

A plan to build a modern streetcar line to connect Downtown St. Paul to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the city of Bloomington is moving forward, after a regional committee approved the plan. 

"After three years of study and 29 public meetings, the Riverview Corridor’s policy advisory committee voted 11-2 on Thursday in support of the future $1.4 billion to $2 billion transit line, which would travel down West Seventh Street in St. Paul and cross the Mississippi River at or near the Minnesota 5 bridge," reports Frederick Melo.

As Melo notes, the streetcar "would share a travel lane of West Seventh Street with local traffic" and "operate no more than one train car at a time" so transit advocates might have some reason to criticize the proposal.

Melo also notes that despite the approval and all the study already completed, years of planning, environmental, and engineering work remain before the project can break ground. "Over the next several months, local municipalities such as St. Paul, Bloomington, Hennepin and Ramsey counties, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission will be expected to vote on the transit concept, which will eventually be added to the Metropolitan Council’s regional transit plan," according to Melo.