![]() ![]() “We have an agency that needs a lot more oversight, transparency and accountability,” he said. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who serves on the state Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, said the Met Council seemed to turn a blind eye to anticipated costs that should have been publicly vetted. The findings of the report have led people from across the political spectrum to criticize the Met Council and the project itself. Another report released early next year will look at other parts of the project. The legislative auditor did not look at whether the project’s increased costs and delays were justified. In a response letter attached to the report, Metropolitan Council Chair Charles Zelle praised the work of the legislative auditor, saying it “carefully documented the main drivers of change on the project’s budget and timeline.” The legislative auditor’s report also found that the delays themselves have ballooned the budget due to higher costs for materials and the expense of employing consultants and construction contractors for longer time periods. In 2014, the Metropolitan Council decided that plan wouldn’t work, and decided to build the light rail lines next to the freight rail. The auditor determined the delays and increases in building costs are due to uncertainty about whether freight rail lines would be relocated. That leaves an estimated $535 million that’s unfunded. The rest of the funding is being supplied by cities and the state of Minnesota. The federal government is currently funding $969 million of the project and Hennepin County has committed $772 million, with an additional $200 million from the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority. The legislative auditor found that about $225 million of the additional costs were approved by the Metropolitan Council in April and include a previously deferred station in Eden Prairie, a longer concrete barrier between freight rail and light rail lines and problems with construction of the tunnel through Minneapolis’ Kenilworth Corridor. Since 2011, the cost to build the 14.5 mile extension of the Metro Green Line has more than doubled to $2.74 billion. The Southwest Corridor light rail project between Minneapolis and the southwestern suburbs has been wracked by delays and cost overruns that have led to a shortfall of more than $500 million, according to a report released Friday by the state Office of the Legislative Auditor. ![]()
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