Open houses tonight in Hudson and Thursday in Woodbury will offer more information on the study of transit options for the Gateway Corridor — the route along I-94 from the St. Croix River to St. Paul.
Being studied for the route are: light-rail transit, commuter rail and bus-rapid transit.
Tonight’s meeting runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Croix County Government Center Lower Level, 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson, Wis.
Thursday’s meeting is from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road.
At each meeting, officials will make a short presentation on proposed transit options and proposed station locations. They will cover ridership projections, as well as the potential economic and community impacts of the transit options.
Reminder, this is a very long-term project. Says the Gateway group:
“Depending upon federal and local funding, new transit in theGateway Corridor could be operational by 2022.”
East Side Gets The Short End of the Stick
As an East Side resident this really irritates me. They say the topic will include light-rail transit, but my understanding is that light-rail has been all but ruled out. Their answer based on some survey? More busses. Frankly, if you look at what light rail development has done in other places, light-rail would increase property values while serving a greater rider base.
The more busses option is bad on so many fronts. It doesn’t serve anywhere near the amount of people as light-rail. It does nothing for property values. And busing is a short term solution as the price of gas is only going up.
Unfortunately I have plans and can’t attend either meeting, but I hope the public really lays into this commission.