Gateway Corridor Meeting Set For July 26 In Woodbury

The group working on a plan for future transit along Interstate 94 from Wisconsin into the Twin Cities is giving Woodbury residents another chance to look at their plans, and give feedback.

The Gateway Corridor Commission will host an open house from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at Woodbury City Hall, where maps of the eight different options for transit along the corridor will be on display, and the elected officials and government staffers who are on the commission will be available to answer questions and take feedback.

“Coming out of this open house we want to have affirmation or confirmation that we have the right alternatives and these alternatives are reasonable and sound alternatives,” said Washington County Traffic Engineer Ted Schoenecker.

The options include commuter rail, light rail, bus rapid transit and express buses.

Here are a few facts about the Gateway Corridor:

What is the Gateway Corridor?

The Gateway Corridor, formerly known as the I-94 corridor, follows the interstate from Eau Claire, Wis., to Minneapolis.

What is the timeline for studying this corridor, and building something there?

The Gateway Corridor study started in October of 2010, said Schoenecker. After this round of open houses, there will be one more round in early 2012 at which a cost/benefit analysis of each option will be available. Then the study should be complete in April or May of 2012, he said. After that, “If everything were to go sequentially, funding was available, a corridor of this size could probably be operational somewhere around the 2022 timeframe,” he said. It will depend on the political environment and the scope and size of the project.

What has changed since the last round of open houses last February?

Due to the feedback from the public, the Gateway Corridor Commission changed the alignment of a proposed bus rapid transit or light rail transit route that would have traveled along 10th Street in Oakdale. Now those routes will travel along the frontage road just north of Interstate 94, stopping at the Sun Ray Shopping Center, 3M and the The Oaks (Carlson) Business Park in Oakdale, and then head either straight down Interstate 94 or through Woodbury along Hudson Road, Schoenecker said. The other new option being considered is adding a MnPASS lane along the corridor. These lanes are free to buses and carpoolers, but individual drivers have to pay a toll to use them. Also since the last open houses, the commission has started putting stations on the map.

Are there other ways to give feedback without attending an open house?

Yes, you can email your comments to Gatewaycorridor@gmail.com.