Central Corridor (Minnesota) - Opposition

Opposition

Many businesses along the line were opposed to its development because of reduced access for automobiles. Under current plans, 87% of on-street parking will disappear along University Avenue between Raymond Avenue and Rice Street. At least one restaurant has cited light rail construction as a reason for closing.

The corridor presently contains working-class residents and immigrant populations from Laos and Vietnam. Although the Central Corridor construction is mostly an existing roadway and no land will be condemned, the disruption to existing transit and pedestrian ways has been cited as a concern by some groups. There is also concern that stops for light rail will be placed too far apart and, along with reductions in bus service, transportation options for people will be reduced. Others are concerned about gentrification, where rising property values and taxes could force out lower-income residents.

Others have opposed using Washington Avenue for a pedestrian transit mall, and have opposed using the Washington Avenue bridge, citing traffic concerns, along with the age of the bridge, when other bridges upriver could be used to cross the Mississippi River: the 10th Avenue Bridge, the new I-35W bridge, or the Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9. This last option is the one preferred by the University of Minnesota, which fears traffic disruption and vibration at some of their research facilities would result from the Washington Avenue route. In late summer 2008, preliminary engineering reports showed that mitigation work could negate the effects of vibrations on university laboratory equipment, and the Washington Avenue route was finalized, at least for a time.

In January 2009, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) raised concerns over the effects of the light-rail trains on their recording studios on Cedar Street in downtown St. Paul. MPR presented the results of an engineering study which they sponsored that conflicted with that performed by the Metropolitan Council. A legal settlement between MPR and other involved parties will keep the light rail trains on Cedar Street, and will also compensate MPR for the addition of sound-proof upgrades to their studios.

The University of Minnesota also renewed its objections over vibration concerns along Washington Avenue in late 2009. Negotiations between the Metropolitan Council and the university continued into early 2010. A compromise was reached between the University and the Metropolitan Council and the Washington Avenue bridge was selected for use. As of Summer 2011, work has begun on the Washington Avenue bridge.