Procurement of Federal Property for Light Rail Transit Case Study of the Minneapolis Hiawatha Line

摘要

As in many other cities around the United States, bringing the first light rail transit line in Minneapolis to reality was, and still is, fraught with many challenges. The Metropolitan Council, which will operate the line, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which is building the line, have dealt with tight budgets, compressed time lines, lawsuits, and continued political opposition. Other starter lines have faced all of these problems. But one of the unique challenges that faced the Hiawatha Project Office was the acquisition of federal property through the Fort Snelling military reservation. To acquire the 1.5 mi of alignment through Fort Snelling, properly exchange agreements were negotiated with five separate military services and federal agencies. The procedures followed to develop each of these agreements and the compensation provided in exchange for the land varied by agency. The process of acquiring federal property will be described, and some important lessons learned from the Minneapolis experience will be highlighted.