Star Tribune
Hennepin County Board OKs another $100 million for Southwest light-rail
Hennepin County’s share of building the Green Line light-rail extension continues to grow, with commissioners on Tuesday approving another $100 million for the project.
The 5-1 vote was the 11th time the County Board amended a grant agreement with the Metropolitan Council, which is overseeing the nearly $2.9 billion project. The latest infusion is a little more than half of the county’s $190 million commitment to help cover a $340 million cost overrun identified last year.
The Met Council is chipping in $150 million in federal funds to cover the rest of the shortfall.
Hennepin County and the Federal Transit Authority are the two biggest funders of the the Southwest light-rail project, with both committing more than $1 billion each to the project. There also are some local and state funds helping pay for what is considered the largest infrastructure project in Minnesota history.
The county primarily uses money from a $20 per vehicle excise tax and a half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation projects to pay for its portion.
Kevin Anderson was the only commissioner to vote against the funding increase, saying it was an important project to complete, but the additional funding was too much of a financial burden on the county. He added the money could be better used addressing other infrastructure needs.
“Hennepin County has paid its obligation,” Anderson said. “It feels like it’s another year, another $100 million dollars.”
Board Chair Irene Fernando and Commissioners Debbie Goettel and Marion Greene all expressed their ongoing support for the project, calling it an essential part of the county’s climate, transit and equity goals.
“I share the frustration,” Goettel said, noting that many infrastructure projects across the country have experienced cost overruns. “We’ve found a way to keep moving forward.”
The 14.5 new miles of the Green Line between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie have been plagued by cost overruns and delays. When the project was approved for federal funding in 2011, the Met Council estimated it would cost $2 billion and be operational by 2018.
The light-rail line is anticipated to be operational by 2027, and the latest price tag is $2.86 billion with a final figure expected this spring.
The state Legislative Auditor, a government watchdog, has probed the project several times, with its most recent report released last summer. It has criticized the Met Council’s management of the project and its oversight of contractors.
Transforming the heart of both downtowns, which have much larger buildings than old warehouses, is going to take a lot more money, creativity and time. Josh Talberg, managing director at downtown Minneapolis brokerage JLL, said with no major apartment buildings on the drawing board in either downtown, the fleet of empty office buildings present a golden opportunity to create more housing and lead both cities in a new direction.
“You can can certainly see the fundamentals improving, and you can feel that vibrancy, and that’s ultimately the foundation that’s needed to get investors to reinvest in the city,” he said. “But it’s not as if these 18-wheelers can turn on a dime.”
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed part of a state highway Wednesday evening near Austin because of a “major hazardous materials release” in the area.
Hwy. 56 from Hayfield to Waltham, a stretch covering about five miles, was closed in both directions and drivers were directed to follow a detour to Blooming Prairie on U.S. Hwy. 218.
No information on the hazardous materials released was immediately available.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a 2023 traffic stop.
The decision is the latest development in a case that has drawn heated debate over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Criminal charges against Londregan were dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in June, saying the prosecution didn’t have the evidence to proceed with a case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel granted Londregan’s motion to dismiss the civil suit, arguing he acted reasonably when he opened fire as Cobb’s vehicle lurched forward with another state trooper partly inside.
Londregan’s attorney Chris Madelsaid Wednesday that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice. Ryan Londregan has finally arrived.”
On July 31, 2023, the two troopers pulled over Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis for driving without taillights and later learned he was wanted for violating a felony domestic no-contact order. Cobb refused commands to exit the car.
With Seide partly inside the car while trying to unbuckle Cobb’s seatbelt, the car moved forward. Londregan then opened fire, hitting Cobb twice.
In her decision, Brasel said the troopers were mandated by state law to make an arrest given Cobb’s domestic no-contact order violation. She said it was objectively reasonable for Londregan to believe Seide was in immediate danger as the car moved forward on a busy highway, which would make his use of force reasonable.
