Rep Benson: Southwest LRT Project Is a Win-Win

Dear neighbors,

Late last week, I participated in an event with some of my fellow legislators, local officials and area businesses leaders at the Supervalu Corporate Headquarters in nearby Eden Prairie. All of us were gathered there to call for a bipartisan bonding bill that includes funding for the Southwest Light Rail Transit Project.

The Southwest Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) line would run 15 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, passing through the southwestern suburban cities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Minnetonka. The line would connection two of the region’s largest job centers: downtown Minneapolis (140,000 jobs) and the Opus/Golden Triangle employment area (30,000 jobs).

The Southwest Corridor LRT has broad bipartisan support. The cities of Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, Hopkins, and St. Louis Park have all passed resolutions in support of the line, and it has support from local area Chambers of Commerce, including TwinWest, Eden Prairie, Edina, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. Local businesses, including SuperValu, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, Opportunity Partners, UnitedHealth Group and Opus also support the line.

Businesses care about transit development. According to Greater MSP, the regional economic development organization, the single most frequent concern of businesses thinking of moving to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is transit. Currently, competitor regions all have larger rail systems and are building faster than the Twin Cities.

This light-rail project is a win-win. It’s added convenience for residents and commuters, and will help draw additional jobs and new businesses to our region. Delays will cost us more down the road, adding another $40 million to the budget next year due to inflation. Now is the perfect time to get moving on this project, especially when any state money will leverage funds at a ratio of nine to one.

The legislature is nearly out of time. With the clock ticking, we need to focus on the right priorities and this is something positive we should get done for the people of Minnesota.

As session continues to move along, I welcome your input and advice on these or any other legislative issues important to you. Thank you again for the honor of serving you in the legislature.

Sincerely,

John Benson

State Representative

District 43B

Do you agree with Rep. Benson? Do you support the Southwest LRT project? Tell us in comments.