Judge Raps Light Rail Project, But Won't Halt It

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A federal judge says planners of the light-rail corridor slated to connect St. Paul and Minneapolis failed to properly gauge how it would affect nearby businesses but he refused a request to halt its construction.

Judge Donovan Frank ruled Thursday that the interest of the public outweighs potential harm to plaintiffs by the Central Corridor light-rail project. But Frank says The Metropolitan Council must supplement an environmental-impact report to better reflect how construction of the $1 billion, 11-mile line mostly along University Avenue will affect business profits.

Many of the plaintiffs hail from St. Paul's historic Rondo neighborhood which has a long history of black businesses and residents being displaced by large public projects. An attorney for the group tells Minnesota Public Radio that even though Frank declined to halt construction that he hopes the ruling will result in changes that will benefit his clients.

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