Title
Supporting the Washington County request for $5,000,000 in state bond funds for the Gateway Corridor.
Body
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor Commission (Commission) was established in March of 2009 to address transportation needs in the I-94 Corridor; and
WHEREAS, the City of St. Paul is an active member on the Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is the principal east/west transportation route through Ramsey and Washington Counties connecting St. Paul to the eastern metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is an identified Regional Transitway; and
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is experiencing robust employment and population growth; and
WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor connects the eastern metropolitan area to the region's transit system via Union Depot and will provide economic development opportunities and is a critical link for employees commuting to their workplace; and
WHEREAS, the Commission has finalized an Alternatives Analysis (AA) that preliminarily examined mode, ridership, alignment, and costs for a future transitway generally following the I-94 corridor; and
WHEREAS, the next step in the development of this transitway will be the completion of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) which began in 2013; and
WHEREAS, a locally preferred alternative (LPA) will be officially adopted as part of the Draft EIS process; and
WHEREAS, Washington County and Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authorities have committed to fully fund the DEIS; and
WHEREAS, additional resources will be needed to advance the transitway through preliminary engineering and construction; and
WHEREAS, Washington County is requesting $5,000,000 in state bond funds for preliminary engineering work following the selection of the locally preferred alternative for the Gateway Corridor; and
WHEREAS, the City of St. Paul recognizes that the $5,000,000 is a down payment on the State's overall investment in the Gateway Corridor;
NOW...
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