The idea of light rail on Washington Avenue in the heart of campus has University of Minnesota officials so concerned about congestion that they've asked planners to consider moving the trains to University Avenue -- and running the line across the 10th Avenue Bridge or a nearby bicycle bridge instead of the Washington Avenue Bridge.

Initial plans for the Central Corridor line between Minneapolis and St. Paul had the trains running beneath Washington Avenue on the East Bank campus, but the tunnel's estimated $155 million price tag has made it a target for elimination. The Metropolitan Council is hoping to pare the cost of the line from $932 million to $840 million in order to secure federal support, and it's trying to do so by the end of February.

"It is our judgment that Washington Avenue cannot handle both vehicular traffic and LRT in the available right-of-way," University President Robert Bruininks wrote on Nov. 28 to Metropolitan Council Chairman Peter Bell. That stretch of Washington sees about 25,000 vehicles a day, including emergency vehicles that serve university medical facilities, Bruininks said.

In his response a week later, Bell said his main concern was that a change in the alignment would delay the completion of the line by one or two years, driving up the cost by $40 million. The line is currently scheduled to open in 2014.

Also, Bell said, any route change could affect ridership numbers and travel times, which the federal government uses to determine which projects are eligible for funding.

Bell said he believes a street-level line on Washington is the best alternative at this point, but he has instructed transit staff to look into the options proposed by the university, as well as look for ways to make the at-grade alignment "more acceptable" to the university.

Bridging the river

If there's no tunnel, the university envisions trains passing over the Mississippi River on either the 10th Avenue Bridge or an old railroad bridge known as Bridge 9, which is now used by bikes and pedestrians.

The new Interstate 35W bridge could accommodate a light-rail line, but the university did not suggest it for the Central Corridor because such an alignment would not allow for a West Bank station, Kathleen O'Brien, vice president for university services, said Friday.

The Washington Avenue Bridge, meanwhile, would need a retrofit to support light rail. Early estimates were that the work would cost as much as $30 million, but "I don't think it's anywhere near that," Steve Dornfeld, a Met Council spokesman, said Friday.

As engineering progresses, the cost of the tunnel also may come down, Bell said Friday. It's not yet known how much it would cost to make the 10th Avenue Bridge or Bridge 9 able to accommodate light rail, he said.