SW Light-Rail Completion Delayed Until 2027, To Cost $450M More

MINNEAPOLIS — The Southwest light-rail project — otherwise known as the Metro Green Line Extension — won't be complete until 2027 and will cost between $450 million to $550 million more than originally projected, the Metropolitan Council announced Wednesday.

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.

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 project was originally set to be complete in 2023, but major hurdles after the project began have caused cost increases and time delays:

• The BNSF Railway company demanded the construction of a barrier protection wall between the BNSF freight and LRT tracks
• Construction of the Kenilworth Tunnel in Minneapolis had to be redesigned due to "poor soils." A secant wall will be built to stabilize the soils while constructing the tunnel, officials said.
• Community demand for the construction of an Eden Prairie Town Center station, which was not in the initial plans

"We will exceed the time and budget we initially anticipated," Nick Thompson, director of transit capital programs, said in a news release.

"But we are confident we’re doing what needs to be done to complete this project, to meet community needs, and to address concerns related to adjacent properties, while still capitalizing on the economic development benefits of an infrastructure project of this nature."

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.