56 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Rail, Track, & Structures, 7/21/20:

 

    Crane operator was missing when Minneapolis light-rail construction accident happened   

 

 

 

A crane operator allegedly left the cab with the machine still running, causing the accident on the $2 billion Southwest Light Rail Transit project in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Isles-Dean neighborhood last week.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

Rail Track & Structures, 8/6/20:

 

 Southwest light-rail project in Minn. could receive large federal grant  

 

 

 

A federal grant could be on its way to the Southwest light-rail project in Minneapolis. Congress needs to approve the $929 million grant, and that review lasts 30 days.

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

Minnesota Post, 8/26/20:

 

 

   Southwest light rail, a project left for dead (more than once), is 25 percent complete    

 

 

 

 

When Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison thinks of the long saga known as the Southwest Light Rail Project, she said she thinks of the movie “The Princess Bride.”

 

Read

[KevinKorell]

Bring Me The News, 9/15/20:

 

   On track: Southwest Light Rail project gets final piece of funding   

 

 

 

The final piece of funding for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project, which extends the Green Line from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, has been received.  

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

Sun-Sailor, Hopkins, MN, 11/10/20:

 

   Met Council marks progress on light rail line    

 

 

 

The Metropolitan Council has announced progress along the Southwest Light Rail Transit line so far this year.

 

Details

[jebr]

From the Metropolitan Council

 

 

Today the Metropolitan Council along with Hennepin County are announcing a potential construction delay for the Southwest LRT Project.  Over the course of the 2020 construction season, the project staff and our contractor, Lunda-McCrossan Joint Venture encountered unforeseen conditions in the Minneapolis segment of the of the alignment which will take longer to overcome. These include:

• Due to the poor soils we encountered in the Kenilworth corridor during the initial construction of the tunnel, an alternative construction method is needed to complete the tunnel. The construction method we are introducing (secant wall) will stabilize the soils while constructing the LRT tunnel. We are taking this approach out of an abundance of caution to protect the foundations of adjacent buildings.
• We are constructing an approximately 1-mile corridor protection wall for an additional layer of protection between the BNSF freight trains and LRT trains. The corridor protection wall will be located in the BNSF’s Wayzata Subdivision in Minneapolis from the Bryn Mawr Station to just east of I-94. This protection wall was added as a requirement of BNSF after final design and civil construction contracting. While this element is not a surprise, we have now completed analysis and design for the wall and have a fuller understanding of the challenges of constructing this project element in an active freight rail corridor. Watch this short video about the corridor protection wall. 

 

Full press release

Edited by jebr, 14 January 2021 - 11:15 AM.

[KevinKorell]

KSTP-TV, 5-ABC in Minneapolis, MN, 1/14/21:

 

   Southwest Light Rail delayed, transit future uncertain  

 

 

On the same day the Minnesota House Transportation Committee began a series of hearings on funding for the two-year budget being crafted by the Legislature, members learned of a setback on the Southwest Light Rail line (SWLRT).

 

More

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading,1/19/21

 

Minneapolis Southwest light-rail construction potentially delayed

 

 

The Metropolitan Council last week announced that construction on the Southwest light-rail project, a 14.5-mile extension of Metro Transit’s Green Line in Hennepin County, Minnesota, may be delayed due to unforeseen conditions in the alignment's Minneapolis segment, and that the project will most likely not meet its opening day projection of 2023.

 

In 2020, the project staff and contractor, Lunda-McCrossan Joint Venture, encountered poor soil conditions during the initial construction of a rail tunnel in the Kenilworth corridor. Now, crews must introduce an alternative construction method to complete the tunnel, Metropolitan Council officials said in a press release.

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

Sun-Sailor, Coon Rapids, MN, 1/21/21:

 

   Southwest Light Rail Transit delayed after construction problems arise    

 

 

Setbacks in building a tunnel and a wall in Minneapolis mean that the Southwest Light Rail Transit line likely will not open on time.

 

Read

[KevinKorell]

Southwest Media, 1/25/21:

 

 

    Schedule derailed: Green line extension pushed back after soil, construction twists 

 

 

 

The METRO Green Line Extension completion date, set for sometime in 2023, will likely be extended, according to Southwest Light Rail Transit spokesperson Trevor Roy.

 

Full story