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Public influence on the Central Corridor project

The public has had significant influence on the project

Project designers have made these changes to the line, as a result of public suggestions:

• Designed an entirely new road surface, sidewalks, curbs and gutters from façade to façade for a uniform look for University Avenue. Retained 10-foot sidewalks in most places. New curbs and gutters will address concerns about water quality and standing water on the street
• Added non-signalized pedestrian crossings to address concerns about pedestrians’ ability to cross the street safely and conveniently. The additional pedestrian crossings resulted in the loss of additional on-street parking, and many people said the tradeoff was worth it. Some advocated for even more pedestrian crossings, which would have resulted in greater loss of on-street parking
• Added infrastructure for three future stations at Hamline, Victoria and Western.
• Incorporated leasable space into the operations and maintenance facility in the Diamond Products building (formerly Gillette Co. factory) facing Broadway and provided a street presence with windows facing Farmers’ Market.
• Modified the use of bells and horns east of Union Depot Station in Lowertown due to noise concerns
• Relocated track crossovers, where trains make noise moving from one track to another, off of Carleton and Avon on University Avenue so they are away from residential areas and off of Cedar Street away from Minnesota Public Radio studios.
• Relocated several traction power substations and signal bungalows to more obscure sites or locations that won’t hinder future development
• Located Snelling Avenue Station at Snelling versus Pascal to accommodate the community’s preference and for better bus connections.
• Simplified station design to address concerns about safety, security and consistency throughout the corridor for ease of access, wayfinding and reduction of barriers for people with disabilities.
• Designed only smooth sidewalk surfaces to address concerns that stamped or patterned concrete makes for a bumpy ride for wheelchair users and hinders people with vision impairments in finding the tactile warning bumps on the curb cuts when they tap the pavement with their canes.
• Placed the West Bank Station between the Cedar Avenue and 19th Avenue bridges versus a block east of the 19th Avenue bridge to better serve both the university and surrounding communities and to be closer to vertical access points at Cedar and 19th avenues to meet requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act
• Held 14 visioning sessions with the artists chosen to design station art so the public could tell them about the history and culture of the station areas. Will hold more meetings later in the spring where the artists will present their design concepts and receive feedback. Organized separate station art committees to enlist community members’ help in publicizing the meetings at the grassroots level.

Who has influenced the project and how did they do it?

• More than 25,000 people have presented ideas at 1,150 public meetings held by project staff since September 2006 in English, Hmong and Somali. The project’s community outreach coordinators also speak fluent Spanish and Vietnamese, some French, some Thai and American Sign Language. They compile public concerns and suggestions and share them with the engineers, which is how the changes suggested by the public have been incorporated into the project. Outreach staffers will be liaisons between the public and contractors during construction to provide project updates and resolve conflicts so the contractors and construction supervisors can focus on their work. 
• Standing advisory committees -- the Community Advisory Committee and Business Advisory Council -- meet monthly to discuss set agendas for committee members who have closely followed the project for a long time and want detailed information.
• Citizens attending open forums and open houses have used "open mike" times to share their concerns publicly and one-on-one with project engineers, and have examined preliminary design plans online, at public libraries on the corridor, and by appointment at the Central Corridor Project Office with assistance from staff.
• People have communicated with project outreach staff at community meetings held in locations as diverse as a Hmong dental clinic waiting room, senior housing, Hmong grocery store's gathering room/dance floor, Vietnam Center, churches, college lecture halls and the Metrodome concourse before and during Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings games.
• Community members who interact with staff informally through project-staffed booths at art fairs, music festivals, ethnic celebrations, the State Fair and other community events, such as Rondo Days.  
• Business owners meeting one-on-one with project staff at their business locations, so the owners don’t have to take time off to attend a public meeting.
• Individuals and organizations contact staff by email to Centralcorridor@metc.state.mn.us, calls to our comment line at 651-602-1645, or scheduled visits with a Community Outreach Coordinator at the Central Corridor LRT Project office, 540 Fairview Ave. N., Ste. 200, Griggs-Midway Building, St. Paul, MN 55104.