If Council Agrees to Move Bottineau Studies Forward, What's Next?

There's a lot that needs to happen before next steps are taken on the Bottineau Transitway project.

On Dec. 18, the Golden Valley City Council will vote on a resolution of support for the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), a step that worked up many residents at a recent public hearing.

See PDF to the right to read a copy of the resolution.

If the council rejects the resolution, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council will go back to the drawing board.

"I don't know what would happen," Hennepin County’s Engineering and Transit Planning Manager Joseph Gladke told Patch. "Our folks look to the future and we’re planning for the future of our region."

But if the City Council agrees to allow studies on the LPA to move forward, the preliminary engineering phase will begin, which Gladke said will cost roughly $90 million.

According to Gladke, about $45 million would come from the Federal Government and the New Starts program, though there's stiff competition for funding.

"We’re in competition with cities across the country, all competing for the same dollars," Gladke explained. "And if Federal funds aren't available, we need other money sooner."

Gladke said funds from the Counties Transit Improvement Board would make up about 30 percent of the remaining preliminary engineering cost, and 10 percent from Hennepin County and 10 percent from the State of Minnesota would complete the phase.

The preliminary engineering phase would take between two to three years to complete, during which time the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) would wrap up, and the final study would begin.

When preliminary engineering is about 30 percent complete, or after roughly $30 million is spent, Golden Valley will have the opportunity to give municipal consent, or turn down the LPA all together.

"It's up to us to get all of the facts," Mayor Shep Harris said after the Bottineau public hearing in November, "and to get those facts, it costs money."

After preliminary engineering is complete, the final design phase beings, which would take another one to two years. Construction of the rail would take up to four years.

Recent Related Articles:

Bottineau Survey Shows Light Rail Support

Bottineau Pros and Cons: What Do Residents Really Think?

Resources:

Project website

Project timelines

Project decision making process

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