advertisement

---

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has sent a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) to Congress for the proposed $957 million Central Corridor Light-Rail Transit Project that would link downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.

A 60-day review will occur prior to execution, when the agreement would commit the federal government to half of the project cost. The project, which would be the largest public works project in Minnesota history, has cost $145 million to date for design, property and construction.

"FTA execution expected in April would allow the realization of 30 years of planning to unite St. Paul and Minneapolis by light rail," said Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh in a prepared statement.

The Central Corridor project would come 10 years after the FFGA was executed on the area’s first light-rail line, the Hiawatha LRT. Central Corridor's ridership is projected to reach 41,000 average weekday boardings by 2030.

Construction began on the 11-mile line in 2010, with completion slated for 2014. The line is designed to connect with Hiawatha at the Metrodome station in Minneapolis and the Northstar commuter-rail line at the new Target Field station.