Gov. Walz Authorizes Financial Audit Of SW Light Rail Project

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN — Gov. Tim Walz Thursday signed a bill into law that will require an audit of the Metropolitan Council's handeling of the Southwest light-rail transit project, otherwise known as the Metro Green Line Extension.

The project consists of 14.5 miles of double track from downtown Minneapolis through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie.

The project was originally set to be complete in 2023, but major hurdles after the project began have caused cost increases and time delays. Now, it won't be complete until 2027 and will cost between $450 million to $550 million more than originally projected, the Metropolitan Council announced in January.

The project's original budget was $2 billion, with about $1 billion coming from a federal grant. The rest of the funding primarily comes from sales taxes collected in Hennepin County.

The state of Minnesota has contributed about $30 million to the project. State law limits the use of state funds for the project.

Following Walz's signature, the state legislative auditor office will examine the main reasons for cost overruns and delays, and review the Metropolitan Council's overall management of the project.

Construction on the project began in November 2018. As of January, construction on the tracks and stations is about 60 percent complete. The project consists of 14.5 miles of double track from downtown Minneapolis through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie.

The Southwest light-rail project will open with 16 stations in five cities. The line ends at Target Field station in Minneapolis.

• Eden Prairie: SouthWest Station, Town Center Station, Golden Triangle, City West
• Minnetonka: Opus Station
• Hopkins: Shady Oak, Downtown Hopkins, Blake Road
• St. Louis Park: Louisiana Avenue, Wooddale Avenue, Beltline Boulevard
• Minneapolis: West Lake Street, West 21st Street, Bryn Mawr, Bassett Creek Valley, Royalston Avenue/Farmers Market

Read more about the project here.