SWLRT project gets $928M federal grant

The Southwest Light Rail Transit Project in Minneapolis has received a $928.8 million federal grant, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced Monday.

The project will extend the existing light rail line from downtown Minneapolis to the southwestern suburbs, where population, employment and traffic congestion are rapidly growing.

Construction on SWLRT project showing progress, leads to road closures

The 14.5-mile extension of the Metro Transit Green Line will include 16 stations from Target Field to Eden Prairie, serving Minnetonka, Hopkins and St. Louis Park.

Officials say the total cost of the project is expected to be $2 billion.

"FTA is proud to join our partners in Minnesota to improve public transportation and support economic recovery in the Twin Cities," said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. "Commuters in this busy corridor can now look forward to faster and more efficient transit service connecting them to major employers downtown and in the suburbs as well as other key transit lines."

Trevor Roy, the Southwest LRT project spokesperson for Metropolitan Council, told KSTP earlier this month that the project is the largest civil construction project in Minnesota’s history. He added that they hope the project will be completed by 2023.