Hennepin County commissioners on June 17 approved $2.9 million to fund Southwest Corridor light-rail line planning - a fraction of what the total project is expected to cost.

The board, acting in its dual capacity as Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, approved $2.5 million to fund an environmental-impact study of three proposed Southwest Corridor routes and another $400,000 to fund the Southwest Station master plan.

Plans for the line, which would connect downtown Minneapolis to the western suburbs, are in the preliminary phase.

"We will do our part to get this project done," said District 6 Hennepin County Commissioner Linda Koblick, who represents much of the western suburbs.

Since 2003, the county has funded $4.4 million of the project, which is expected to cost between $865 million and $1.4 billion, according to Blair Tremere, Koblick's principal assistant. The project's cost will depend much on which route is chosen for the line.

Previous county funding included $1 million for an alternatives analysis and $500,000 for a feasibility analysis.

Substantial state, federal and county funding is needed to build the line, Koblick said. The earliest it could be built is 2015, "but that could change," Tremere said.

Hennepin County officials will apply for Federal Transportation Administration New Starts project grants to assist with funding.

The environmental-impact study is expected to take 18 months to finish. After it's complete, and master planning is finished, the county will determine the next step.

"It will be at least 18 months out," Koblick said. "They will do an analysis and look at what the options are."

As proposed, the Southwest Corridor light-rail line would connect downtown Minneapolis with St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie.

For more information, visit www.southwesttransitway.org.

This article was posted here on June 26. It will appear also in the July 3 print edition of the Minnetonka Sun-Sailor.

This article was posted here on June 26. It will appear also in the July 3 print edition of the Minnetonka Sun-Sailor.