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Morris said new federal procedures have taken effect since the Hiawatha Line was built as a part of the hold up. The regulations, which Morris said are useful, mandate that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) be submitted. The DEIS has been compiled by the Central Corridor Coordinating Committee (CCCC) and has been sent to the Federal Transit Administration for review; the document will be published on the CCCC’s website next month to compliment a series of public meetings.

There are basically three options for the Central Corridor in terms of transit: the status quo which entails a basic bus system, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system or a Light Rail Transit (LRT) similar to the Hiawatha Line.

A BRT system is based on the premise of a LRT at a fraction of the cost. Buses would have a dedicated lane of traffic on most of its route as well as dedicated right-of-way at intersections. If a BRT system were to be implemented, it could run in a seperate lane down University Ave., but would be mixed with traffic at the University of Minnesota and in both downtowns. The Bus would also have multiple doors on one side and be considerably larger than a regular bus.

A LRT line running through the central corridor would most likely be placed on University Avenue, an old street car route. Adding a LRT line instead of pursuing other options would be consistent with the larger long-term planning which includes the NorthStar commuter rail to Big Lake. Morris estimates that 40,000 passengers would use light rail transit in the central corridor in the year 2030, compared with The Hiawatha Line’s estimate of 30,000. A LRT system has a capacity of 200 per two car trains, which would serve the growing Twin Cities’ community.

“It doesn’t appear that a bus system will meet the future demand,” Morris said. However, many concerns have been raised by the residents along the central corridor about what LRT will actually mean for their neighborhoods.

Though many along the University Avenue corridor cite parking and lack of business during construction, many local leaders say that the distrust of this project begins with Rondo -- the heart of the African American community in the Twin Cities that was torn apart by the I-94 project in 1952. 300 of the 400 homes that were demolished were occupied by African Americans. It is widely acknowleged that this plan to destroy the African American community was intentional, but the city has never apologized for the incident.

The current concern is that if tracks are laid on University Avenue, the area will become gentrified and property value would increase dramatically. This could displace the people who currently live along the corridor, the businesses that serve them and distroy the present community. Although careful not to seem too contrary, Morris said property values have been increasing along the central corridor for the last several years on their own.The next few months will be marked by several public meetings on the issue to gather public in put, which Morris urges residents to look for on his project’s website at www.centralcorridor.org. A decision as to what will happen along University Avenue is expected to be final by fall.