The Southwest Light Rail Transit Project construction has slated the overnight closure of Interstate Highway 494 near Flying Cloud Drive for full closure Monday, March 29th from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Tuesday, March 30. A Southwest LRT / Met Council update says that crews will be completing roadway bridge milling and decking work. Recommended Detours Eastbound I-494 traffic can follow Highway 212 and Highway 62 to Highway 169 South to rejoin I-494 Westbound traffic should follow 169 North to Highway 62 or Highway 212 for local access and to reconnect to I-494. Other SWLRT alerts for Eden Prairie…
Author: Jeff Strate
Jeff Strate
An Eden Prairie resident since 1994, Jeff has served as an organizer for local open-space initiatives and get-out-the-vote parks referenda. He has also served on the Eden Prairie Human Rights and Diversity Commission, conservation area task forces, the Southwest Light Rail Community Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Land Trust. Jeff studied journalism and mass communication at the U of MN and has been a producer/writer and occasional on-camera figure in the Twin Cities, New York, Boston, and Trenton. Jeff has written for websites and magazines and has produced award-winning access programing through Southwest Community Television (SWTV).
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The gallows hastily erected in front of the National Capitol during the January 6th insurrection signaled the mob’s intentions: They were out to kill Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi. The vice president and the House Majority Leader might have hanged on the approach to the stately home of our democratic republic, one built by enslaved people from Africa. Can America breathe? Midway through Black History Month, the moderator of a Minnesota History Center discussion echoed what was first heard during last summer’s protests, “Minneapolis has become the epicenter for a national reconciling with race.” The panel of black authors and…
East bound Prairie Center Drive will be closed today (Thursday February 25, 2021) between Technology Drive & Singletree Lane from 8 am to 3:30 pm. Look for detour signs in the area. This stretch of Prairie Center Drive will reopen at 3:30 pm. Southwest LRT bridge work that was delayed earlier this month due to extreme cold weather will resume this morning. For more information go to www.SWLRT.org
Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) has become a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). INN is a nationwide association of some 300 established and start-up, nonprofit news organizations, newsrooms and centers that are dedicated to nonpartisan public service and high journalist standards. The Eden Prairie Local News’ leadership team, which informally calls itself “the working group,” elected to join INN to take advantage of its multi-faceted support and advisory services for nonprofit news organizations. “We’re discovering new capabilities in our digital environment that enhance connections and trust between our readers, the businesses and schools which serve them, and…
Active construction work on Southwest Light Rail will continue in select zones along the alignment in Eden Prairie and other cities throughout the winter, according to a SWLRT notice dated January 29. Weather conditions may alter anticipated work times. In Eden Prairie, motorists and pedestrians can expect to encounter work crews and construction vehicles and detours in the following areas through February 11. The SouthWest Station areaPiling and concrete work. Purgatory Park (near SW Station)Temporary closure of one access lane to the lake side park and veterans memorial on February 3. Prairie Center DriveConcrete work and bridge walkway preparation during…
Four winners of the City of Eden Prairie’s first Martin Luther King, Jr. Words in Action Contest were honored by the City and its Human Rights and Diversity Commission during the Council’s meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Winners Siri Manikonda, Shaunya Kumar, Miriam Marsan, and Leah Quintera presented their essays and art work in-person or via Zoom to Mayor Ron Case and council members and a few city staff and citizens following pandemic protocols. In December, Eden Prairie youth were invited by the City to share their thoughts about an inspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. quote them through art,…
The City of Eden Prairie has announced the winners of its Martin Luther King Words in Action contest for youth this morning. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Eden Prairie and throughout the nation. The winners are writer Siri M. and visual artist Shauna K. in the 12-years old and younger bracket. Writer Miriam M. and visual artist Leah Q. were declared winners in the ages 13-18 bracket. Backstory In December, Eden Prairie youth were invited by the City to share their thoughts about the great civil rights leader keyed to a Martin Luther King Jr. quote and…
The Met Council has announced that two construction modifications of the Southwest Light Rail project in Minneapolis will likely delay the opening of the line. However, the modifications will not affect the SWLRT work calendar in Eden Prairie and elsewhere. The January 14th announcement said that the cut-and-cover tunnel in the Kenilworth Corridor north of W. Lake Street and the protection wall between the light rail alignment and the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad tracks to the northeast will require more building time. Unforeseen soil conditions in the Kenilworth right-of-way have prompted the SWLRT project and general contractor Lunda-McCrossan Joint…
The massive new bridge that rises from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie and then soars over Prairie Center Drive is arguably the most commanding structure of the $2 billion, 14.5-mile-long Southwest Light Rail Project. Continuing work on the span during 2020 however, was only a fraction of the project’s robust progress in Eden Prairie during a year when covid protocols were slowing up most everything else. During an in-person, September 15 report to the City Council. Eden Prairie Public Works Director Robert Ellis branded 2020 “the big year” for SWLRT. Wearing a mask, Ellis noted that 28 construction cranes had been…
As 2020 began winding down in early December, the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District began celebrating its 60th Anniversary. The party favor for folks from Carver to Eden Prairie and Mendota is a 12-minute video with spectacular aerial and still photography of the river woven together with informed perspectives on the history, mission and and future of this low profile environmental agency. “They’ve come a long way since 1960,” says Ron Harnack in the video. The water resources consultant applauds the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District (LMRWD) for engaging a range of industries, businesses, agencies and citizens to improve water…