South of the river agenda
South of the river agenda Officials in Scott County have urged legislators to fight for these local priorities this session: Allow more roads in Scott County Scott County worries it may be left behind in a new regional philosophy for road building: less of it. The new approach advocated by regional transportation leaders is to tackle congestion through “management” techniques, like pay-as-you-go and car pool lanes, instead of by adding lanes. While such strategies might be fine for the inner metro, county engineers say they’re not the right approach for growing suburbs. “It seems to be treating developing areas like Scott and Carver as if they’re already a fully developed area,” Scott County Public Works head Lezlie Vermillion said. Restore loan funds for highway expansion To someday expand important arterials like County Road 17 and have a new river crossing, transportation officials say more advanced funding must be available to purchase land as it becomes available on the open market. Vermillion said the state, through a Metropolitan Council study, has signaled it won’t help acquire right-of-way for road preservation, putting the responsibility on local governments. Rep. Michael Beard, R-Shakopee, said lawmakers took money out of a loan fund for early land acquisitions in order to make up for a short fall in transit funds. They chose this avenue vs. dipping into housing redevelopment funds, he said. Lift the ban on Dan Patch rail Local lawmakers say they will continue their push to lift the ban on studying the Dan Patch Line for possible commuter rail. Two transit stations slated for a future southwest light rail transit line could intersect with the Dan Patch Line—but regional transportation leaders aren’t allowed to entertain such a possibility. “You can’t even have thoughtful planning—or think ahead,” Scott County Commissioner Jon Ulrich of Savage said of the ban. Even Sen. John Doll of Burnsville, whose district has the line running through it, has signed on to lifting the ban, although only based on principal. Doll sees greater promise in a rail line down the Minnesota River to Mankato and making connections to high-speed bus transit on Interstate Highway 35. Study bus rapid transit Scott County says there’s a big gap in transit
in this area because the Met Council cannot contemplate the Dan Patch line, but also has no mention of a possible bus rapid transit down Highway 169 in its transit planning document. Scott County Transportation Program Manager Lisa Freese said the local quadrant should be put on equal footing with other transportation corridors in the metro area so possible transit improvements can be compared. “We did a preliminary look at these corridors. They frankly have pretty competitive ridership numbers with other corridors that are moving forward in the next phase of study,” she said. “Without us getting them into the documents, we can’t take it to the next level (of study).” Scott County is seeking a half-million dollars in bonding to evaluate a bus rapid transit lane on Highway 169. With limited room on the freeway for more traditional lanes, BRT might be a way to grow capacity, Freese said. I Finish the Regional Public Training Facility Scott County would like to finish off the training center for public safety and emergency officials at the former jail annex in Sand Creek Township. An additional $2.2 million in state bonding funds would finish the project, adding a rail safety training feature, as well as more technology and training props. The project wasn’t included in the governor’s proposed $685 million bonding package. However, it still could be included in the House or Senate bills. The training facility has been open about a yearand a-half. The state has already contributed $1 million in bonding over two cycles. Local partners borrowed another $5 million to finance the development. In 2009, 75 entities—including seven sheriff’s offices, four colleges and eight state agencies— trained at the center, Scott County Administrator Gary Shelton said. Fees from outside users currently fund about 50 percent of annual operations.
in this area because the Met Council cannot contemplate the Dan Patch line, but also has no mention of a possible bus rapid transit down Highway 169 in its transit planning document. Scott County Transportation Program Manager Lisa Freese said the local quadrant should be put on equal footing with other transportation corridors in the metro area so possible transit improvements can be compared. “We did a preliminary look at these corridors. They frankly have pretty competitive ridership numbers with other corridors that are moving forward in the next phase of study,” she said. “Without us getting them into the documents, we can’t take it to the next level (of study).” Scott County is seeking a half-million dollars in bonding to evaluate a bus rapid transit lane on Highway 169. With limited room on the freeway for more traditional lanes, BRT might be a way to grow capacity, Freese said. I Finish the Regional Public Training Facility Scott County would like to finish off the training center for public safety and emergency officials at the former jail annex in Sand Creek Township. An additional $2.2 million in state bonding funds would finish the project, adding a rail safety training feature, as well as more technology and training props. The project wasn’t included in the governor’s proposed $685 million bonding package. However, it still could be included in the House or Senate bills. The training facility has been open about a yearand a-half. The state has already contributed $1 million in bonding over two cycles. Local partners borrowed another $5 million to finance the development. In 2009, 75 entities—including seven sheriff’s offices, four colleges and eight state agencies— trained at the center, Scott County Administrator Gary Shelton said. Fees from outside users currently fund about 50 percent of annual operations.
