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<br />STATE #S #
<br />RESOLUTION 2014- +,
<br />A RESOLUTION TRANSMITTING THE CITY OF LAKE ELMO'S SUPPORT OF THE LOCALLY
<br />PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE (LPA) TO THE RCRRA, WCRRA, and METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
<br />WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is a proposed project that will provide for transit infrastructure improvements in
<br />the eastern portion of the Twin Cities, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the purpose of the project is to provide transit service to meet the existing and long-term regional
<br />mobility and local accessibility needs for businesses and the traveling public within the project area by providing all
<br />day bi-directional station -to -station service that compliments existing and planned express bus service in the
<br />corridor, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor is located in Ramsey and Washington Counties, Minnesota, extending
<br />approximately 12 miles, and connecting downtown Saint Paul with its East Side neighborhoods and the suburbs of
<br />Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, and Woodbury, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor Commission (GCC), in partnership with the Metropolitan Council and other
<br />project stakeholders, completed the Gateway Corridor Alternatives Analysis (AA) Study that in addition to the No -
<br />Build alternative recommended one bus rapid transit (BRT) and one light trail transit (LRT) alternative be advanced
<br />for further study in the federal and state environmental review process, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); the Washington County Regional Railroad Authority
<br />(WCRRA), serving on behalf of the GCC; and the Metropolitan Council have initiated the environmental review
<br />process for the Gateway Corridor project, with FTA designated as the lead federal agency for this project, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor project recently received the important Presidential designation as a Federal
<br />Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard Project, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the Gateway Corridor project recently completed the Scoping phase of the environmental process,
<br />which resulted with the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and the GCC recommending further study of the No -
<br />Build alternative, four BRT alternatives operating within a dedicated Guideway (A -B -C -D1 -El, A -B -C -D2 -El, A-
<br />B -C -132-E2, A -B -C -D2 -E3) and a managed lane alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (BIS) at
<br />the request of the FTA and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and;
<br />WHEREAS, the BRT alignments that advance into the Draft EIS will be further defined and evaluated to minimize
<br />impacts to surrounding properties and the 1-94 corridor which may include operating in existing lanes with mixed
<br />traffic at pinch points where right-of-way is constrained, enhance economic development potential, and reduce
<br />capital costs while providing required operating efficiency, with attention to mobility options for environmental
<br />justice populations, and;
<br />WHEREAS, through the Scoping process, the PAC and the GCC recommended that the LRT alternative be
<br />eliminated from further study due to its higher costs while generating a similar ridership, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the identification of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) is a critical first step in pursuing federal
<br />funding for the Gateway Corridor project, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the adoption of the LPA into the Metropolitan Council's Transportation Policy Plan will conclude the
<br />FTA Alternatives Analysis process, and;
<br />WHEREAS, the LPA will be one of the Build alternatives identified and studied in the Draft EIS, and;
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