The original design concept for the Lowry Station was an elevated track and station near North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. However, stakeholders did not broadly support that concept due to difficulty in accessing the elevated station, lack of station visibility, visual impacts to Victory Memorial Park, and the number of new structures required.
The design team worked through multiple iterations of at-grade concepts to achieve a feasible design with some modification to the Lowry bridges. Current working design concepts feature:
• LRT and station at-grade with Lowry Avenue, making it more accessible for all riders (no stairs or elevators).
• Station just south of Oakdale/Lowry between the newly constructed Lowry bridges.
• Realigned Grand Round (to the east) to separate the intersection from the bridges and station.
• Grade-level pedestrian access, with convenient access between North Memorial Hospital and the Lowry Station.
• Design integrated into the existing park property, to free up more usable green area.
The Blue Line Extension project team still needs to work through more design refinements, but the intent is to proceed with the at-grade concept. Info: metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Projects/Light-Rail-Projects/METRO-Blue-Line-Extension/Contact.