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Minnesota Department of Transportation <br /> <br />Transportation Building <br /> <br />395 John Ireland Boulevard <br />St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1899 <br /> <br />April 19, 2001 <br /> <br />Ms. Betsy Wergin, Commissioner <br />Chair, Northstar Corridor Development Authority <br />13880 Highway 10 <br />Elk River, Minnesota 55330 <br /> <br />Dear Commissioner Wergin: <br /> <br />As was promised to you at the last full committee meeting, I am providing you with a <br />copy of the executive sun:unary from a Congestion survey that was recently undertaken <br />by Mn/DOT. Commuter rail was identified second only to maintaining our current <br />transportation infrastructure as a long term strategy for dealing with what the public is <br />now beginning to perceive as a growing congestion problem. This is truly good news and <br />marks our joint success in raising the profile and understanding of commuter rail and how <br />it can benefit the State of Minnesota. The full survey has been provided to Himle Homer, <br />Inc. and is already being incorporated into Northstar informational materials. <br /> <br />Now that we have confirmed that Minnesota, beyond the Northstar Corridor, is ready to <br />accept commuter rail as a transportation choice it is even more important that we cement <br />the relationship between our two organizations and move forward in a seamless effort to <br />make it a reality. With that in mind, I would like to respectfully request that you consider <br />allowing Mn/DOT an ex-Officio position on the Northstar Corridor Development <br />Committee and the Executive Board. It is important that communication occur at the <br />policy level as well as the staff level. I want to make sure that I learn directly what the <br />Authority is recommending and that they know that the office of the Conmaissioner of <br />Transportation sees this project as important to Minnesota's integrated transportation <br />network and a regional commuter rail system. <br /> <br />Should you be favorable to this request I will move quickly to appoint someone from my <br />staff. Your consideration is appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you soon. <br />Please contact me directly or my Chief of Staff, Margo LaBau, at 651/297-3099. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br />Enclosure <br /> <br />An equal opportunity employer <br /> <br /> <br />