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Jan 4, 2009 12:32 pm US/Central
Study: LRT Vibrations Could Be Eliminated
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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Officials at the University of Minnesota are still concerned about vibrations and electromagnetic interference with research labs. (File)
Metro Transit
A new study confirms that vibrations from the proposed Central Corridor light rail between St. Paul and Minneapolis would affect buildings along the route. But it also shows the shaking could be eliminated through technology.
The study, commissioned by the Central Corridor Project, examined eight areas along the planned route, ranging from a recording studio on University Avenue to research laboratories at the University of Minnesota.
The 216-page report shows vibration concerns can be resolved in every case, said project director Mark Fuhrmann.
"This now puts it under one cover and confirms that there are impacts, and those impacts can be mitigated," he said.
But others aren't so sure. Officials at the University of Minnesota are still concerned about vibrations and electromagnetic interference with research labs, said university Vice President Kathleen O'Brien.
"Our concern is that if there's an impact on this sensitive, highly technical research equipment, then it will not be able to be mitigated," said O'Brien. "In fact, those laboratories would have to be moved, and the project might have to pay for the relocation."
O'Brien said relocating one laboratory, Hasselmo Hall, would cost about $22 million.
The study also included the broadcast center of Minnesota Public Radio and two churches. Those three places in downtown St. Paul want the transit route moved off Cedar Street.
MPR's public affairs director, Jeff Nelson, is skeptical of the report.
"You can do a lot of analysis, and drop 40-pound weights on the street and 40-pound weights in our studio, and try to create a model. We're looking for both a model, and also for a practical example of this kind of mitigation working in the real world," said Nelson.
Planners for the 11-mile transit line say they've set aside nearly $32 million to offset negative effects. The bulk of that money will go toward the university's campus, where traffic will be diverted. About $8 million will be left over to resolve concerns elsewhere on the route.
To reduce vibrations along the line, consultants have recommended using steel and concrete fasteners that more tightly affix the tracks to the rail bed.
In front of MPR, planners said they're willing to install a more costly option called a "floating slab track" -- a concrete slab supported by steel coil springs that would absorb the vibration.
One facility that would need extra remediation is a small basement recording studio on University Avenue, called Aggressive Records. The study recommended building a "room within a room," or even relocating the studio.
Owner Dave Marcin said either way, he would be inconvenienced.
"I would love to fight it, but I'm just a small cog in a big churning wheel that will churn right over me," said Marcin.
Other locations identified as sensitive to vibrations include the KSTP television studio, a laboratory for the Minnesota departments of health and agriculture, the Church of St. Louis, King of France, Central Presbyterian Church, and the McNally Smith College of Music.
The Central Corridor planners said they'll address concerns in greater detail in a final environmental study due next spring.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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