Running a light rail train through North Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park is a massive effort involving countless hours of planning, design, engineering and ultimately, construction.

But the most important part of the Blue Line Extension light rail line is the democracy phase.

That phase includes gathering input from the communities the line will serve, consulting businesses, city and county planners and obtaining the consent of each community to be served by the line.

Each city is holding a public hearing to gather public input, and in the coming weeks, each city will vote on the preliminary plans for the project.

That’s why I was so encouraged by a recent public hearing on the project at the Minneapolis Central Library.
More than 100 people attended the hearing, and the overwhelming number of speakers were residents of Minneapolis’ Harrison Neighborhood. While these residents were generally supportive of the line, they also had many thoughtful suggestions for improving the project and mitigating the impact of construction on the neighborhood.