Koznick Statement on latest SWLRT Setback
Democrats have learned nothing as they look to move forward with other lines
St. Paul, MN—State Representative Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, issued the following statement today in reaction to the news that construction on the Southwest Light Rail Project had been halted this week following the discovery of a concrete “impediment” near the Cedar Isles condo buildings. The latest delay is expected to add additional costs to a project that is already years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.
“This week’s news is the latest example of the utter incompetence and mismanagement of what has become the biggest publicly financed boondoggle in Minnesota history,” said Koznick. “It is way past time to end the madness and hit the brakes on the Southwest Light Rail Project. Instead of learning from these mistakes, the Met Council and other stakeholders are looking to move forward on a series of transit rail lines that will almost certainly generate similar results. Proposed new lines like the Dan Patch Corridor that would run through Lakeville or the Bottineau Line in the northern Twin Cities should be scrapped. More fiscally responsible options like bus-rapid transit might be better options.”
In 2022, the House and Senate approved the authorization of a special audit of the Southwest Light Rail Project after Met Council announced that the project could take an extra four years and another $550 million to finish.
Koznick continued, “The misguided idea of re-examining the Dan Patch Line and others show that Democrats have learned nothing from the failures of the Southwest project as similar environmental issues and questions about financial viability are expected with Dan Patch.”
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