Community Corner
What Will This Be?: An LRT Substation
The substation will provide power to trains on the line.
On Thursday, Patch asked readers to guess what an intersection is expected to become after Southwest Light Rail Transit arrives. The answer is: a traction power substation at the intersection of Smetana Road and Feltl Road.
The substation is one of three that officials plan in Minnetonka. They also plan one in the Shady Oak station area and one near the Opus Station. They convert electrical power into the appropriate voltage, current type and frequency for light rail.
The substations are a mammoth 11 feet high, 14 feet wide and 45 feet long. They can also be unsightly. Minnetonka’s staff and council are pushing light rail planners to screen the Smetana station with trees and find ways to improve the look.
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The Feltl-Smetana intersection will see other big changes. Engineers plan to redesign the road so that it crosses Smetana farther west in order to avoid the light rail line.
Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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