Twin Cities: More than $1 billion in federal funding for Blue Line LRT extension unclear as Trump takes office

The fate of more than $1 billion in federal funding needed to build the Blue Line light-rail extension from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park remains unclear as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office next month.

In November, Trump nominated former Fox News host, MTV reality star and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican from Wisconsin, to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, the federal behemoth that distributes critical grants for big transit projects like the Blue Line extension.

Duffy hasn’t commented publicly on his roadmap — should he be confirmed — for the federal department, which has a $100 billion annual budget and a vast reach that includes the nation’s highway, airspace, maritime and rail systems.

As Trump’s executive branch takes shape in Washington, transit planners in the Twin Cities will continue working on the $3.2 billion project, an expansion of the existing Blue Line that has been in the works for at least a decade. ................(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/news/55251968/mn-more-than-1-billion-in-federal-funding-for-blue-line-lrt-extension-unclear-as-trump-takes-office