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Web: GreenLineExt.org
Twitter: @GreenLineExtMN
Construction Hotline: 612-373-3933
Metro Transit is excited to share that the Green Line LRT Extension project has reached another significant milestone: SouthWest Transit operations in Eden Prairie will relocate from the temporary bus facility to the new waiting area and bus loop at SouthWest Station on May 1. Metro Transit also looks forward to co-locating with SouthWest Transit when LRT revenue operations begin. This station is a key hub for travellers to and from downtown Minneapolis. Shops and restaurants are located around the station. The surrounding area includes the 200-acre Purgatory Creek conservation area with a seven-acre park and walking trails.
Below are two recent photos highlighting the interior and exterior of the new facility.
Construction Town Halls: Video Recordings Now Available
Three virtual Town Halls were held the past couple weeks to inform community members about upcoming work and associated impacts. The video recordings and materials are now available on the project website.
Eden Prairie Highlights
Upcoming:
- Expect impacts from work on the south side of the new SouthWest Station parking ramp on Technology Drive for westbound traffic and pedestrian traffic in early May.
- Expect lane closures on Highway 62 in early May for approximately three weeks for utility work.
- At SouthWest Station, pile driving will begin approximately mid-May and last throughout the summer.
Ongoing:
- The Highway 212 off-ramp to Prairie Center Drive is closed for roadway work until mid-July. Follow posted detour signage. See Eden Prairie Detour Map.
- The intersection of West 70th Street and Shady Oak Road is closed until mid-May for utility and roadway work.
Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Eden Prairie.
Minnetonka Highlights
Upcoming:
- Red Circle Drive will be closed for roadway and guard rail work approximately three weeks starting May 15.
- Expect lane closures on Highway 62 in early May for approximately three weeks for utility work.
- Expect lane shifts for sidewalk work on Smetana Drive.
Ongoing:
- Bren Road East is closed near Bren Road Station Apartments until mid-July to complete road construction. Follow posted detour signage. See Minnetonka Detour Maps.
- The lane closure continues on Yellow Circle Drive near the Highway 62 LRT tunnel site through May for Systems work
- Crews continue to work on the Minnetonka-Hopkins LRT bridge.
Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Minnetonka.
Hopkins Highlights
Upcoming:
- Expect traffic impacts at the intersection of Excelsior Boulevard/Jackson Avenue South/Milwaukee Street on May 2 from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. In May expect additional traffic impacts near Excelsior Bridge to complete finishing work.
- The Minnesota River Bluffs Trail segment between 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue will be closed for approximately eight weeks beginning mid-May for Systems work – see Trail Highlights below for more details.
Ongoing:
- 5th Avenue South is closed until mid-late May for median and road construction. See Hopkins Detour Maps.
- K-Tel/5th Street is closed to through traffic for the 2023 construction season for road, utility, and rail work. Follow posted detour signage. See Hopkins Detour Maps.
- Expect sidewalk impacts on the south side of Excelsior Boulevard through June between 8th Avenue South and 5th Avenue South. Follow posted detour signage.
- The west sidewalk on Blake Road remains closed. Use the sidewalk on the east side of Blake Road.
- The northeast and southwest sidewalks at Excelsior Boulevard and Jackson Avenue/Milwaukee Street remain closed.
Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Hopkins.
St. Louis Park Highlights
Ongoing:
- Railroad Avenue is closed through mid-May to complete utility work.
- The east sidewalk along Wooddale Avenue remains closed. Use the sidewalk on the west side of Wooddale Avenue.
- Beltline Boulevard remains closed through early May to complete LRT crossing installation and roadway work. See St. Louis Park Detour Maps.
Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in St. Louis Park.
Minneapolis Highlights
Upcoming:
- West 21st Street between Upton and Thomas Avenues South will close to motorized non-residential traffic starting early May. Access to residents on Upton Avenue South and East Cedar Lake Beach will be preserved through a temporary pedestrian/bicycle facility and roadway.
- Expect overnight lane closures on I-394 under the Penn Avenue South bridge in mid-May
- Lane closures on the Penn Avenue South bridge over I-394 in Bryn Mawr are expected to begin in late May/early June for sidewalk construction. Pedestrian access on Penn Avenue South will be provided for the duration of this work.
- A full closure of Royalston Avenue north of Holden Street is planned to begin May 1 for approximately two months for roadway work. Local access will be provided to businesses in the area.
- 7th Street between Olson Memorial Highway and 5th Avenue will be closed for one day on May 2 for bridge work.
Ongoing:
- The Kenilworth Trail from West 21st Street to the Bryn Mawr Station area has been temporarily closed for LRT construction and final trail establishment – see Trail Highlights below for more details.
- Sanitary sewer force main work continues at Depot Street and at West 28th This work involves the removal of concrete and pavement, the use of vacuum trucks, excavation, soil hauling, and installing the force main in its final location. The work is expected to continue through the spring. As part of this work, the intersection of Dean Court and West 28th Street is closed until late May/early June.
- Pumps and generators will run overnight periodically in various parts of the construction corridor, especially at the Kenilworth LRT tunnel site. Pumps are used to manage water, and generators are used to power the pumps as well as to power equipment that keeps pipes or other elements warm during freezing temperatures.
- Cedar Lake Parkway is closed to advance LRT tunnel construction. Due to an abnormally harsh winter, a wetter than average spring, and poor soil conditions at the construction site, the reopening of the Parkway has been delayed until later this summer. The temporary bridge over the tunnel construction for pedestrians and bicyclists will remain in place for the duration of the closure. We are working with our contractor on a new opening date for the Parkway and will communicate this information when available. The delay will not impact the overall timeline of the Green Line Extension.
- The Cedar Lake Channel is closed to recreational use until September 2023 to finish WPA wall construction as well as construction of the trail bridge that spans the channel. This will allow work in the channel to be completed this year, thus avoiding a full long-term closure next winter that was originally planned. There will, however, be a need for brief closures in 2024, but we anticipate minimal impacts to recreational use. The Kenilworth Lagoon is accessible from Lake of the Isles.
- Pile-driving activities continue at Bryn Mawr Station area into spring to construct retaining walls. Lane closures are in place on South Wayzata Boulevard at the intersection of Penn Avenue South.
- Construction at and around Bryn Mawr Station continues for work on the pedestrian bridge and station.
- Glenwood Avenue between Lyndale Avenue North and North 12th Street remains closed for construction of the LRT bridge and two roadway bridges. See Minneapolis detour map.
- Royalston Avenue between North 5th Avenue and Border Avenue remains open to roadway traffic in a northbound-only condition.
Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Minneapolis
Trail Highlights
- Various trails within the Opus area are closed as crews advance many project elements. The Opus trails are anticipated to reopen in summer 2023.
- The Minnesota River Bluffs Trail between Shady Oak Road and 11th Avenue in Hopkins is anticipated to reopen in late 2023.
- The Minnesota River Bluffs Trail between 11th Avenue and Excelsior Boulevard is open for local use. The segment between 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue will be closed for approximately eight weeks beginning mid-May for Systems work. Detour map will be provided in advance of this closure.
- The segment of the South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins and Blake Road remains closed and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.
- The segment of the South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Blake Road and just west of Louisiana Avenue is anticipated to reopen in summer 2023.
- The segment of the South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between just west of Louisiana Avenue and Wooddale Avenue in St. Louis Park remains closed and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.
- The segment of the South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Wooddale Avenue and Beltline Boulevard is open for local use.
- The South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Beltline Boulevard and France Avenue in St. Louis Park remains closed and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.
- The temporary trail near Chowen Avenue and West Lake Street remains in place. For your safety and the safety of work crews, please follow signage for the temporary trail and stay clear of the work zone.
- The Kenilworth Trail from the Midtown Greenway and West 21st Street will remain closed until the completion of LRT tunnel construction in 2025.
- The Kenilworth Trail from West 21st Street to the Bryn Mawr Station area is closed for the duration of the construction season. Signage will be installed to reflect a modified detour primarily utilizing Kenwood Parkway. See Minneapolis detour map
- The Luce Line Regional Trail bridge that crosses the BNSF rail corridor at Bryn Mawr Meadows Park is closed. A new bridge is being reconstructed to connect the new Bassett Creek Valley Station with the Park and is scheduled to reopen in 2025.
- The North Cedar Lake Trail east of Van White Memorial Boulevard is anticipated to reopen in 2025.
Project staff share the community’s desire to see the trails reopen as soon as possible. The project office will continue to work with the contractor to improve on these opening dates.
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