Aging is hitting Greater Minnesota’s 80 counties first, and hardest

The package is likely to face resistance from House Republicans, who unveiled their own transportation plan last week

The House GOP and transportation advocates offer their plans to improve roads and bridges and expand transit.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is asking the Federal Transit Administration to intervene, a decision supporters worry will jeopardize the $1.65 billion project.

The Metropolitan Council is scheduled to award an $886,000 contract for design and construction support services to St. Paul-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. for the median station stop and skyway connection to the station.

Transportation infrastructure is as critical to us as water and sewage treatment--a breakdown in either will destroy a region as quickly as a plague.

The new plan--scheduled for discussion by the full council in January--includes several references to growing highway congestion and calls for further study and working with counties and cities to understand arterial highways.

Backers of the potential line want communities to re-evaluate land-use and comprehensive plans within the study area to see if changes will make a transit investment more successful and attract more private development.

A a grass-roots effort is underway to convince the Minnesota Department of Transportation to study an “inter-city passenger rail” line that would serve south central Minnesota cities.

Metro Transit’s new transit-oriented development office has narrowed down a list of 110 Met Council-owned properties along transit lines to 62 parcels for further analysis as potential joint development opportunities.