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A study commissioned by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, and the TwinWest Chamber, as reported by Minneapolis-St. Paul’s KARE 11,

found that 76 percent of Minnesotans polled agree the state would benefit from expanded public transportation. The same poll showed that 69 percent would like to use public transportation more often.

The Southwest Rail Line is only one of several transit projects underway in the region. Partially funded by a Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Planning Grant, the line is a part of one of the largest public works projects in Minnesota’s history

“This project will create 3,500 hundred jobs for just the construction,” Klingel, predicted. “But we anticipate 60,000 jobs along the Southwest corridor.”

“There’s a very practical nature to business leaders today, and it’s really not about politics,” TwinWest president Bruce Nustad asserted.

“It’s about practicality, and we happen to be coming out of a very tough economic time. And I think people are starting to realize the tools and the things they need, aside from politics.

For more information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org/partnership.