Southwest LRT Project Under Scrutiny Following $341M Price Hike

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The chairman of the Metropolitan Council says "all options are on the table" regarding the future of the Southwest Light Rail Transit Line.

That's because the price tag for the project just jumped $341 million to a total of nearly $2 billion.

Gov. Mark Dayton says he's "shocked and appalled," by the increase, and even suggested it could kill the project.

"I certainly will not recommend that any additional public money be committed to this project until I am satisfied that its cost can be justified and properly managed," he said.

What's driving up the costs are what the Met Council says are newly discovered problems in areas of the 16-mile line.

In the council's project video of the proposed line, the trains can be seen running through Eden Prairie's wetland.

The new Met Council chairman, Adam Duininck, says it was just a week ago that an engineering study showed how big a problem the wetlands would be.

"The soil conditions are going to have an impact on the construction costs in terms of laying down track and building retaining walls," Duininck said.

Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) is one of many skeptics.

"It's hard for me to believe that the Met Council wasn't aware of it," Hann said.

He says Eden Prairie businesses, including Optum, have publicly complained about environmental concerns.

The Metropolitan Council study also found contamination and other soil problems that will drive up the costs of the already elaborate project.

The line will have 33 bridges, two tunnels and six pedestrian underpasses.

Another increase is that 99 additional businesses, some of them in the same buildings, will also have to be moved. Many of them are in The Johnson Building.

"We are living on, kind of borrowed time in the building, and that we're going to have to make arrangements to relocate," attorney Mark Carter said.

Clarence Fields at Full Motion Fitness looks at the move as an opportunity to grow business.

"So it's all about what lens you see it through and you prepare for it. I think it's going to be a great thing for the community," Fields said.

That's if the project continues to move forward.

"We have been telling them about these problems," said Mary Pattock, of the Lakes and Parks Alliance, a Minneapolis-based group suing to block the project.

"I am not surprised at the cost," Pattock said. "We felt all along that the Met Council was not leveling with us."

But supporters say that they want this light rail, despite the costs.

"The traffic in this part of the metro is bad and getting worse, so anything we can do to relive it is a good idea," said David Zwickey of Chanhassen.

Now this additional $341 million in costs are the result of engineering studies that are only 40 percent complete. The Met Council is acknowledging that these increased costs could go even higher.