The Southwest Light Rail is “a boondoggle of historic proportions” according to one state senator.
Criticism came from all sides at the Capitol over a new state auditor's report on The Metropolitan Council's mismanagement of the Southwest Light Rail transit project.
Republican Senator John Jasinski says the project has been a concern for years and he's convinced all of the money would be better spent elsewhere.
“We believe that bus rapid transit is a much better form, money much better spent,” says Jasinski. “Since I’ve been in, in 2017, that’s what we’ve been pushing from my point of view.”
The report found that the council spent money it didn't have, and has not been fully transparent about the project’s delays and cost increases. Since 2011, the cost of the project has more than doubled to $2.4 billion.
According to the report from the auditor's report:
Minnesota has a mismatch between the entities that fund the construction of light rail transit projects and the entities responsible for constructing them. We also found that the Metropolitan Council obligated itself to spend money it did not have, added or changed substantial work after the project was bid, and was not fully transparent about the project’s increasing costs and delays.
You can read more about the report here.
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