Poll Shows Support for Southwest LRT

A poll commissioned by three area chambers of commerce shows support for a proposed Southwest Light Rail line.

The poll shows 61 percent of Minnesotans in favor of committing $25 million worth of state bonding funds to the project.

The TwinWest Chamber of Commerce, whose area includes St. Louis Park and Hopkins, as well as the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce—the state's three largest chambers—funded the poll. Seven hundred Minnesota voters, including 400 in the metro area, were questioned.

The same three chambers last month issued a statement for bonding dollars going toward the project.

Other findings from the poll include:

• 76 percent of Minnesotans say the state "would benefit from having an expanded and improved public transportation system"
• 69 percent of Minnesotans said they would like to use public transportation more often
• Support was strongest in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, and weakest in western Minnesota

Click here to see full poll results and explanations.

“The strong support evidenced by this survey should add to the momentum in support of Southwest LRT,” said TwinWest Chamber President Bruce Nustad in a press release. “We have a once in a generation opportunity to build a transportation network that will help us keep and grow jobs in our region. The business community will continue to play a major role backing this important project.”

Construction of the $1.25 billion line, which will connect the Twin Cities with Eden Prairie via the west metro, is expected to start in 2015. The transitway would then open in 2018.