ST. PAUL (June 5) – A new stairway-elevator
tower connecting the St. Paul skyway to street-level transit at the METRO
Green Line’s Central Station opened to
the public today.
The stairway-elevator
tower provides St. Paul commuters, residents and visitors a convenient link
between the light-rail station and nearby bus waiting areas and businesses,
offices and residences connected through the skyway. The stairway-elevator
tower will also benefit those with limited mobility.
“This stairway-elevator tower
builds on the excitement that is spreading throughout downtown St. Paul with
the Green Line’s opening and reaffirms our commitment to making transit in the
Twin Cities open and accessible to all individuals,” said Metropolitan Council
Member Rich Kramer, who represents downtown St. Paul.
The $1.7 million project
was made possible by an $800,000 federal grant received by Metro Transit.
Additional funding came from the Green Line budget. The stairway-elevator tower
was designed by St. Paul-based TKDA and
built by Burnsville-based PCL Construction with support from Green Line staff.
Rick Cardenas, Co-Director
of Advocating
Change Together, was a strong
advocate of the connection and on Thursday was given the chance to be the first
to enter and use the elevator. Cardenas lives in downtown St. Paul and will board
the Green Line at Central Station to commute to his University Avenue office.
“This elevator is going to
make a big difference, especially during inclement weather,” Cardenas said. “Persons
with mobility problems of any sort will utilize this option, making downtown
St. Paul more viable for everyone.”
The stairway-elevator
tower’s opening comes a week ahead of the Green
Line’s grand opening. Green Line
trains will begin service at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 14, and customers can
ride free on all light-rail trains, buses and Northstar throughout the weekend.
On June 14, community
celebrations will be held at several Green Line stations, including Central
Station, where there will be live music and a “Skyway Open” mini-golf
tournament.
“The opening of this
connection is the beginning of many celebrations that will be happening along
the Green Line,” St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said. “The accessibility
advocates and Metropolitan Council should be commended for getting this project
completed. It will be a valuable asset for all those who connect to the
regional transit system in downtown St. Paul.”
The Green Line is expected
to see an average of 40,000 weekday boardings by 2030. The line includes 18 new
stations, plus five stations shared with the METRO
Blue Line in downtown
Minneapolis. For more information on the Green Line and opening weekend
festivities visit metrotransit.org/greenline.
Metro Transit is a service
of the Metropolitan Council.
Customers boarded buses and trains operated by Metro Transit more than 81
million times in 2013.
Photos are available for re-publication on Metro
Transit's Flickr page.
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Contact: Drew
Kerr, Metro Transit Public Relations Specialist, drew.kerr@metrotransit.org,
612-349-7758
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