New documents related to the construction of the METRO Blue Line Light Rail Extension are ready for the public’s perusal.
A federally-required document called the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement has been published by the Blue Line Extension project office, which anticipates the effects of the light rail project on the immediate environment and the people who live along the route.
Charlie Zelle, Metropolitan Council chair and chair of the Blue Line Extension Corridor Management Committee, called the document a “major development” in the light rail project.
At the June 13 management committee meeting, Zelle said the document “starts a clock for truly, officially documenting and receiving public information” about the 13.4 miles of planned public transportation that aims to connect Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Robbinsdale and north Minneapolis to the current northernmost Blue Line station, Target Field Station in downtown Minneapolis.
The Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement can be reviewed in full at bluelineext.org .
A comment window is open now through Aug. 5. The draft statement along with public comments will be used to compile the Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement, which is expected to be published in mid-2025.
Impacts to people
The report identifies adverse impacts to those living, shopping, selling or otherwise frequenting areas in the light rail corridor.
Per an executive summary, the light rail would require 36 properties to be acquired, the bulk of them are located in Minneapolis and within disadvantaged communities. The report states that these properties would be paid for and occupants would receive relocation assistance.
A section on environmental justice acknowledges that all 14 residential relocations and 17 of the 22 nonresidential relocations for the project are in BIPOC, low-income or disadvantaged communities, “with the vast majority in the disadvantaged community of north Minneapolis.”
Noise and vibration will also disparately affect BIPOC, low-income or disadvantaged communities, which the report refers to as “EJ communities.” Additional loss of parking is expected for EJ communities.
Positives are also identified for those living near the line, namely the opportunity to use the transit system.
“Given the abundance of EJ communities along the Project Alignment, they are likely to both reap the benefit of proximal, accessible transit as well as experience direct adverse impacts such as displacements” the report details.
“Two critical components of this process – meaningful coordination with EJ-specific communities and affected parties, and identification of mitigation measures to address Project impacts – are required and ongoing prior to making a final determination.”
It would also require the relocation of “community amenities:” seven in Minneapolis and a handful in Brooklyn Park, Crystal and Robbinsdale.
A section on environmental justice focuses on worries from the public that the light rail would negatively impact the West Broadway business district in north Minneapolis, the KMOJ Radio building, Twin Cities International School, Lundstrom Performing Arts and generally residents living near North 21st Avenue.
The report anticipates severe noise impacts to 15 properties (containing 173 dwelling units) in Minneapolis. Moderate noise was identified for two institutions and 29 residential properties (244 dwelling units), the majority of which is also in Minneapolis.
Impacts to the environment
Negative impacts are identified for animals and insects that would lose habitat. The report anticipates loss of habitat for four endangered or threatened species: 10 acres of habitat loss for northern long-eared and tricolored bats; 50 acres of prairie/meadow with milkweed suitable for monarch butterflies; and wetland loss for Blanding’s turtle. In total, 28 acres of forested land would be cleared for the project. Wetlands with fish-bearing streams could also be temporarily disturbed by “an increase in sediment load.”
Additional impacts are expected for migratory birds, frogs, toads, turtles and snakes.
The report estimates the impact to 12.2 acres of floodplain, 9 of which at Shingle Creek in Brooklyn Park. Additionally impacted would be 8.5 acres of wetland and stormwater basins. The report estimates 58.3 new acres of impervious surface would be created, which prevents rainwater from soaking into the ground. The bulk of added impervious surface would be in Brooklyn Park (44.5 acres).
Solutions to these will be addressed in the ongoing design process.
The report concludes that the rail would “generally have a neutral impact” on the visual character of the area and will not have long-term effects to “geology, soils or topography.” Poor soils, which have plagued the construction of the Green Line Extension, are expected to be most concentrated at the light rail’s northern terminus near the Oak Grove Parkway Station in Brooklyn Park.
The project construction will come within 550 feet of 152 “high-risk known or potentially contaminated sites, which the report acknowledges would be managed during construction, and ultimately create an opportunity to decontaminate the areas.”
High-risk sites include dump sites, active leak sites, industrial sites with chemical use and clothes dry cleaners (due to chemicals used). An additional 228 medium and 53 low-risk sites were identified within the project area.
How much will the light rail extension cost?
The report estimates that it will cost $2.2 billion to build the light rail extension before contingencies. The report details that the figure was calculated when the project was at 15% completed design (it has since surpassed 30% design).
The additional cost is likely due to inflation, as construction is expected to begin in 2026.
The project office expects to have 49% of the project paid via the federal Capital Investment Grants Program utilizing New Starts funds. The remaining 51% is expected to be funded by the county and the state. Currently, the county has committed $530.1 million, the county railroad authority has committed $149.6 million and Minnesota has committed $50 million, to a total of $729 million.
View printed copies of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement at:
• METRO Blue Line Extension Project Office, 6465 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 600, St. Louis Park
• Brooklyn Park Library, 8500 West Broadway Ave., Brooklyn Park
• Rockford Road Library, 6401 N. 42nd Ave., Crystal
• North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Ave. N., Minneapolis
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