Leaders of the regional planning agency, the Metropolitan Council, are examining what the Twin Cities will look like in the next thirty years.

During its State of the Region event in Hopkins on Friday morning, Met Council officials laid out an early vision for “Imagine 2050.”

The agency oversees the development of a variety of resources, including water treatment, parks, and affordable housing, but the Met Council has been under the most scrutiny for its handling of large transportation projects.

In his speech Friday, Charlie Zelle, chair of the Met Council, emphasized transparency and accountability — two things that critics say have been lacking during the development and construction of Southwest Light Rail, also known as the Green Line Extension.

That project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns and is now estimated to cost $2.86 billion.

“It’s important to acknowledge the tremendous complexity of building the largest public works project in the history of Minnesota,” Zelle said. “I’m proud to say that the Green Line Extension is now on solid ground, more than 80% of the civil construction completed, the project is fully funded and it is on course, slated to open in 2027.”

That announcement drew applause from those in attendance at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.

Zelle did not directly address the latest problem with Southwest Light Rail uncovered by 5 INVESTIGATES Thursday, but he appeared to more broadly reference the challenges the project has faced.

“Building large transportation infrastructure projects takes foresight, commitment and little bit of courage,” Zelle said. “That’s because I’ve noticed they’re hard to build, they’re noisy and they’re disruptive, but most of all, we can’t forget they are transformative.”

The Met Council’s new regional administrator, Ryan O’Connor, echoed those sentiments at the event.

“If you remember one number, remember this,” O’Connor said. “We estimate raising more than $22 billion over the next 30 years to sustain and build a transportation network befitting of a thriving, growing, and dynamic region such as this.”

The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring commentary from Woodbury Mayor Anne Burt, Ramsey County Administrator Mary Jo McGuire, and African American Leadership Forum CEO Adair Mosley.