The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) voted on the Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project’s Locally Preferred Alternative Nov. 3. The HCRRA unanimously voted to recommend Route 3A to the Metropolitan Council for inclusion in its 2030 Transportation Plan, according to a news release.

“This was an open process, with rigorous debate worthy of a project of this magnitude,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman in a news release. “After extensive discussion with the community and our partners, we have come to a consensus, and I am excited to move forward.”

The project now moves into preliminary engineering, pending final approval from the Federal Transit Administration. The Southwest LRT project recently received $5 million in state bonding allocated by the Metropolitan Council for transit improvements; the bonding will be used for preliminary engineering and environmental work.
For more information, visit www.southwestransitway.org.