Archive for category Union Depot
Photos from the Secretary of Transportation’s visit to Union Depot on Oct. 15.
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Union Depot in downtown St. Paul with Congresswoman Betty McCollum and members of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 15, 2009. LaHood vowed to be a “full partner” with Ramsey County in developing the multimodal transit hub and called the Union Depot project a national model of planning and community collaboration. Read more about the visit at OnBoard Midwest. We’ll also be posting photos from the tour on Flickr soon.
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Union Depot Advances
Oct 6
From City of St. Paul Central Corridor Downtown Station Area Plan
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority approved a significant step forward for the Union Depot renovation project in downtown St. Paul today. The board voted unanimously to release a request for proposals to manage design and construction of the multimodal transit hub, with an eye toward completing the mammoth project in just two years.
“We are anxious to begin work on the Union Depot project,” said Regional Rail chair Jim McDonough. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires us to have funded projects completed within two years. We want to have the depot ready for Amtrak trains and other transit by 2012. This will be a major investment in downtown and a real catalyst for economic development in the city, county and region.”
The Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority is seeking the services of a Construction Manager/Design Team (Proposer) for the Union Depot Multimodal Transit and Transportation Hub in downtown Saint Paul. The work, to be completed under a contract resulting from this request for proposals, will renovate and restore the facility to accommodate Amtrak, intercity and transit buses, taxis, bicycles and future commuter rail and high speed rail. Funding will be provided from a variety of federal, state and local sources, potentially including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. Ramsey County has issued this request for proposals on behalf of the RCRRA.
Information on the procurement will be available through the Contract Services section of the DemandStar E-Procurement System in accordance with instructions.
The RFP Administrator for this Request for Proposals is:
Ruth A. Richardson
Contract & Analysis Services
15 W. Kellogg Boulevard
Room 280 City Hall/Court House
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
Phone: 651-266-8900
Fax: 651-266-8919
E-mail
All questions regarding this RFP are to be directed only to the RFP Administrator and the Contract Analysis Services Office. County and RCRRA personnel and elected officials are not authorized to discuss this project or RFP with interested proposers outside of the Pre-Proposal Conference. Proposers may be disqualified if any unsolicited contact related to this RFP is made with an employee, elected official or representative of the RCRRA other than the RFP Administrator and/or the Contract Analysis Services Office during the proposal process.
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Big Week for Union Depot
Sep 1
Commissioner Jim McDonough leads a tour of the depot concourse for members of Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff.
Three significant pieces of news regarding St. Paul’s Union Depot, future home of the East Metro’s multimodal transit hub:
- From OnBoard Midwest — “The State of Minnesota has submitted a request for $135.8 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to renovate Union Depot as a multi-modal transit hub. The Minnesota Department of Transportation worked with the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority to submit an Intercity Passenger Rail grant application for Track 1 capital funding. This is another key milestone in the effort to create a high-speed rail connection between downtown Saint Paul and Chicago. Money from the grant request would be used to renovate the concourses, upgrade the tracks, and prepare the building to be a hub for light rail, passenger rail, high-speed rail, and bus service. Union Depot is considered a Track 1 project to qualify for the funding because it meets key standards:
- It is a capital project
- The project is ready to begin work
- Project level environmental review (NEPA) has been completed
The decision to submit the funding request was based on recommendations from the Aug. 3 Intercity Passenger Rail Forum meeting. MnDOT is also working to prepare an additional request for a grant for Track 2 projects next month that would include funding for corridor development work for the Milwaukee to Twin Cities portion of the Chicago to Twin Cities corridor. This would involve some additional planning and environmental review. On Board Midwest will continue to keep you updated as things move forward. “ - Staff members from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office toured the depot, including the concourse and recently purchased head house, with Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough, chair of the Regional Rail Authority, and Tim Mayasich, its executive director.
- Ramsey County and its partner agencies published an Environmental Assessment of the Union Depot project Aug. 24, setting in motion a 45-day public comment period. More information about the Environmental Assessment and how to submit comments is listed below.
For more information about the Union Depot project, visit the depot web site or the Regional Rail web site.
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Environmental Assessment Published
In order to secure federal funding for the purchase and renovation of Minnesota’s Union Depot, Ramsey County and its partner agencies were required to perform an environmental assessment of the project. A notice of availability was published in the August 24, 2009 EQB Monitor on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration and Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration.
The comment period for the Draft EA will remain open from August 24-October 8, 2009. Written comments on the Draft EA will be accepted until the close of business on October 8, 2009.
Comments may be made by:
Mail: Steve Morris, Transit Project Manager, RCRRA, 50 W Kellogg Boulevard, Suite 6560 RCGC-West, St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 266-2795 (note: This line will record comments only and is not staffed. To ask questions about the project or the environmental assessment, contact Steve Morris at (651) 266-2784)
Fax: (651) 266-2761
E-mail: Steve Morris
Public Hearings Scheduled
To afford an opportunity for all interested persons, agencies and groups to comment on the EA, two public hearings have been scheduled for September 9, 2009, at the Union Depot Head House, 214 4th St. E., St. Paul, MN 55101:
- 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The public hearings will be open house format with formal presentations. The formal presentations during the afternoon meeting begin at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; for the evening meeting the formal presentations will be at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. A court reporter will be on hand to record oral comments. Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the public meeting or comment on the Draft EA should contact the RCRRA Project Manager (651-266-2784).
Copies of Environmental Assessment Available for Review
Copies of the EA for the rehabilitation and reuse of Minnesota’s Union Depot as a multi-modal transit hub are available for review online (Click here for the complete assessment, broken into sections. Some of the sections are still large and might require some time to download) or at the following libraries and RCRRA offices during regular business hours:
- St. Paul Central Library, 90 West Fourth Street, St. Paul, MN, 55102
- Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 N. Dale Street, St. Paul, MN, 55103
- Hamline Midway Library, 1558 West Minnehaha Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55104
- Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55104
- St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108
- Dayton’s Bluff Library, 645 East 7th Street, St. Paul, MN, 55106
- Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, 50 W Kellogg Boulevard, Suite 6560 RCGC-West, St. Paul, MN 55102
- Mn/DOT Library, Minnesota Department of Transportation, M.S. 155, Room 175, Transportation Bldg., 395 John Ireland Boulevard, St. Paul, MN, 55103
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