With Cedar Avenue’s bus rapid transit express service to Minneapolis beginning Sept. 28, some citizens are eager to see its benefits.
Doug Morse, a nine-year Apple Valley retiree, said although he doesn’t anticipate using the service, he supports BRT development because it’s needed.
GRAPHIC: A transit system aims to provide alternative methods of transportation to the Twin Cities region. Cedar Avenue, with express bus rapid transit service to begin Sept. 28, is the state’s first BRT corridor. Graphic submitted
“There are cars parked up and down the street … last year, I counted 60
or 70 on the street, and the (parking) lots are full. They do need that
ramp, that’s for sure,” he said about the new park-and-ride facility
under construction at 155th Street and Cedar Avenue.
Another Apple Valley resident, 68-year-old Diane, who didn’t want her
last name published, said she is looking forward to using bus rapid
transit’s express service to go shopping or enjoy shows downtown.
“It’s easier to get on a bus in the evening instead of driving,” she
said, adding that she used to enjoy relaxing on the bus after a hard
day’s work instead of battling traffic.
For a decade, Dakota County officials have worked to bring BRT benefits
to residents like Doug and Diane, but even as the project is weeks away
from its express to Minneapolis’ Marquette Avenue and Second Street
launch, there are hurdles to overcome to keep the transitway project on
schedule for its full rollout.
One of Dakota County officials’ biggest challenges is funding.
The county is $20 million shy of the $82 million needed to complete
phase one, which includes acquiring property from more than 200 parcels
to widen Cedar Avenue between 153rd and 160th Streets so
station-to-station service can begin in 2012.
To keep the project on track, appraisals need to occur now so construction can start in the spring.
But property can’t be purchased until the county and city come to terms
with the Federal Highway Administration’s requirement for two noise
walls be built in Apple Valley.
Dakota County and the city of Apple Valley have passed resolutions
opposing the walls, to be located north of 160th Street and south of
153rd Street, citing concerns that include costs, maintenance and
aesthetics.
Without resolution to the negotiations, the project won’t receive FHA
approval and risks losing $22.5 million in federal funding.
Meanwhile, county commissioners complain they have fewer options for
getting money for Cedar BRT because U.S. Rep. John Kline refuses to
earmark funds for local projects.
“He wants to reform the whole process,” County
Commissioner Paul Krause said.
While Kline supports the development of Cedar BRT, he is opposed to
participating in a broken and corrupt system of congressional
earmarking, said Kline spokesman Troy Young.
“The Cedar Avenue BRT project is an initiative that certainly could
stand on its own merit, but in order to secure funding for that
project, Congressman Kline has to vote for $7.1 million for the
recovery of Hawaiian sea turtle populations, $475,000 for hybrid buses
in Guam, and $1 million to research red snapper in Florida,” Young
wrote in an e-mail.
He added, “His position on earmarking is clear: He will not request or
support any earmark until there is transparency in the system and
projects can compete solely on their merits.”
County Commissioners Nancy Schouweiler and Will Branning said that in
the past, they have had difficulties getting meetings with Kline in his
Washington, D.C., offices.
It’s a long-standing complaint, and in response to their frustrations,
Kline met with Dakota County officials after a BRT ground-breaking this
spring.
During the sometimes heated discussion, Kline held to his convictions
against earmarking, stating, in part, that constituents support his
stand.
According to the clubforgrowth.org Web site, 54 federal House and
Senate members have made similar pledges, including Sen. John McCain
and former Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who is now the president.
Despite Kline’s overtures, Krause said in an interview that his stance regarding funding makes getting money for Cedar tough.
To compensate, Krause said commissioners have sought help from U.S.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison and Michele Bachmann.
“They all know that Dakota County needs some help getting funding,” Krause said.
Young said Kline has intervened on Dakota County’s behalf, expressing
support of the project to Minnesota Department of Transportation
Commissioner Tom Sorel and encouraging MnDOT to tap into Minnesota’s
share of federal transportation formula dollars.
This week, Kline’s staff met with county officials to discuss the federal noise- wall issue to determine a course of action.
Local funding sources also pose challenges for the county.
For example, Metropolitan Council officials are charged with
distributing state bonding dollars to transit projects throughout the
region.
This year, Dakota County sought $12 million of the $21 million
allocation, but is expected to walk away with only about $3.2 million
when Met Council approves requests in September.
County commissioners expressed disappointment that the funding amount
wasn’t higher, but Metropolitan Council spokeswoman Bonnie Kollodge
said funding requests regionally were well above actual dollars
available.
Arlene McCarthy, metropolitan services director with the Met Council,
said a long request list was narrowed, and Cedar was one of only four
transit projects to get money.
Noting that almost $9 million of the state bonding dollars were
legislatively committed to other projects, thus limiting the amount of
money the council could dedicate regionally, McCarthy said, “Obviously,
Cedar Avenue is one of our top priorities.”
Yet another politically challenging source of funding is the County
Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), which directs how money collected
from the quarter-cent sales tax for transit is spent.
As CTIB members, Schouweiler and Krause have consistently expressed the
need for Cedar funding, but Schouweiler said it’s expected to be the
source of last resort.
County Transit Specialist Sam O’Connell said the county will apply to
CTIB for some of the $19 million available for transit in 2010.
Despite the funding challenges, Krause said he doesn’t believe the project schedule will be delayed.
“We’re just going to keep on working at it so we can keep dollars to
keep it going. That’s my job,” Krause said. “You just have to keep
working the system.”
Laura Adelmann is at
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