A bill to transfer responsibility of the troubled Southwest light-rail project from the Metropolitan Council to the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be introduced Thursday at the State Capitol.
Sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, the measure calls for MnDOT to assume responsibility by March 1 for "all aspects" of the Southwest project, including "planning, construction and oversight."
In January, the Met Council announced that the Southwest project will cost $450 million to $550 million more than expected and take four more years to complete. The line now could cost up to $2.75 billion and begin passenger service in 2027; at this time last year, the line's budget was $2 billion, with service beginning in 2023.
The regional planning body said complications related to tunnel construction in the Kenilworth corridor of Minneapolis, a $93 million crash-protection wall separating freight and light-rail trains west of Target Field, and the addition of a station in Eden Prairie caused the budget to balloon.
"The Met Council has shown us it's not capable of the same level of competency [as MnDOT] working on large infrastructure projects," said Dibble, the ranking minority member of the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee.
Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, confirmed Wednesday that he will introduce a companion bill in the House. Hornstein chairs the House Transportation committee.
Terri Dresen, spokeswoman for the Met Council, said in an e-mail: "As the federal grantee, it's unusual to transfer projects, but we are always open to discussing ways to improve outcomes for Minnesotans." Southwest has received a $929 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
MnDOT representatives were not available for comment Wednesday.
