HIAWATHA LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT AND LAND USE

Presented by Cole Hiniker, Victor T Helin, Vivek Deshpande

 
 
                                                                                   

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

With the recent influx of light rail technology in the United States, it is no wonder that the Twin Cities is jumping on the bandwagon.  With one light rail line (Hiawatha) operational and one more (Central Corridor) getting a Draft Environmental Impact Study completed sometime in the near future, the future for light rail looks very good indeed for the area.

            Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) has been developed by the Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council (local metropolitan planning organization), in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). The proposed LRT will operate on the Hiawatha Avenue/Trunk Highway 55 Corridor linking downtown Minneapolis, the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport, and the Mall of America (MOA) in Bloomington. Currently the LRT service is available from downtown to Fort Snelling station. As per the proposal the remaining length of the LRT extending from Fort Snelling to the Mall of America would be opened by the end of this year.

            Currently there are 20 light rail systems operating in the US, some much more successful than others, but all achieving some modicum of success.  Within these 20 operational systems the ones that are achieving the most success are Portland, OR; St. Louis, MO, and Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX.

 

Portland: One of the oldest official light rail systems, has been growing and expanding ever since its inception in 1986.  Now it runs on 44 miles of track and in May of this year the MAX lines serviced 97,900 riders each weekday.  There has also been a recent downtown rail service called the Portland Streetcar.

 

St. Louis, MO: 43,728 average weekday riders for the Metrolink system in 2004, which opened in 1993 to warm reviews. They have twice won the American Public Transit Outstanding Achievement Award for how they operate their system.

 

Dallas:  After opening in 1996 the system has been doing much better than expected it handles in some weeks over 40,000 riders.  It has been expanded multiple times and has a new commuter rail opening between Dallas and Fort Worth.

 

LAND USE

            Land use planning is an important tool that allows residents to design their communities in ways that suit their needs and desires. The introduction of LRT to the neighborhood presents the opportunity to greatly reshape and develop the communities around it. Neighborhood residents can and should be involved in this process. Creating a plan begins with observation of physical and social aspects of the neighborhood. Once this information is collected, different issues can be identified. People can decide what problems exist, and what could be made better. Next, goals should be set to deal with these issues. Following this step would be coming up with strategies to achieve these goals.

 

            The number and spacing of stops is influenced by the potential transit ridership capture, site, roadway and ROW constraints. In the Hiawatha LRT line there are about 17 stations that have been planned along the route. Many proponents of major transit projects argue that the new systems will result in more efficient land use pattern. They say that by encouraging more dense and compact development patterns, the possibility increases for increase transit trips,

 

 

reduced trip making and more multi-purpose trips. However, at the same time such a development is also likely to increase the congestion in the area.

 

            The City of Minneapolis has adopted the following goals for the Hiawatha LRT Corridor.

  • Preserve the livability of all adjacent neighborhoods through careful planning for land use and station area development that includes active participation of neighborhood residents and businesses.
  • Strengthen neighborhoods by reinvestment in housing, multi-use facilities and renovation projects.
  • Attract new employment opportunities throughout the Corridor and provide excellent transportation connections for citizens to existing and new businesses
  • Improve alternative transportation options within the City with changes to the existing bus service and the addition of light rail transit service
  • Promote the continued growth, accessibility and economic vitality of Downtown Minneapolis through light rail transit service in the Hiawatha Corridor.

           

            A major selling point for the Hiawatha LRT was its development potential. The corridor chosen was seen as one that connected major employment centers and provided open space around stations that could drive new transit‑oriented development.

 

Issue to be kept in mind while going through the links and articles

 

Could there have been a better corridor for setting up the LRT line?

Is there a better alternative way of using the existing corridor?

Does light‑rail really attract new development?

Does the development of LRT through the city increase congestion?

Does the development of a light rail transit system increase sprawl?

 

 

Readings for the Topic

 

http://www.compukiss.com/populartopics/travel_transhtm/article975.htm

 

http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/documents/rail_transit_summary.pdf

 

http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/diaz.pdf

 

http://www.caed.asu.edu/apa/proceedings03/GANDER/ganderm.htm

 

http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/lrt/stations.htm

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/national/11rail.html?oref=regi

 

www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/lrt/pdf/development_document.pdf

 

http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/10/04_olsond_development/

 

http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2004/10/25/story5.html