Request for Committee Action
A briefing memo explaining the purpose, background, and impact of the requested action.
B Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Recommended Corridor Plan: City of Minneapolis comments (RCA-2021-00912)
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT
To Committee(s)
| # | Committee Name | Meeting Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transportation & Public Works Committee | August 11, 2021 |
Action Item(s)
| # | File Type | Subcategory | Item Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Action | City Policy | Approving City of Minneapolis comments on the B Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Recommended Corridor Plan, and directing the submittal of the comments to Metro Transit. |
Ward / Neighborhood / Address
| # | Ward | Neighborhood | Address |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ward 2 | Cooper | |
| 2. | Ward 2 | Longfellow | |
| 3. | Ward 6 | Phillips West | |
| 4. | Ward 7 | Cedar-Isles-Dean | |
| 5. | Ward 7 | East Isles | |
| 6. | Ward 9 | Central | |
| 7. | Ward 9 | Corcoran | |
| 8. | Ward 9 | East Phillips | |
| 9. | Ward 9 | Longfellow | |
| 10. | Ward 9 | Midtown Phillips | |
| 11. | Ward 9 | Powderhorn Park | |
| 12. | Ward 10 | Cedar-Isles-Dean | |
| 13. | Ward 10 | East Bde Maka Ska | |
| 14. | Ward 10 | Lowry Hill East | |
| 15. | Ward 10 | South Uptown | |
| 16. | Ward 10 | Whittier |
Background Analysis
The Metro Transit B Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a planned rapid bus line that will upgrade and substantially replace Route 21, one of Metro Transit’s highest ridership bus routes. The 12.6-mile B Line is planned to operate primarily along Lake Street in Minneapolis, and Marshall Avenue and Selby Avenue in St. Paul connecting West Lake Street Station on the METRO Green Line Extension in Minneapolis to Union Depot in downtown St. Paul. The B Line is planned to stop at 33 locations along the route, with stops placed about 0.4 miles apart on average (two to three stops per mile) to balance speed and access. B Line stations will be designed to provide faster and more efficient service, along with amenities that foster an improved experience for transit customers. The B Line will be the fourth planned/operational rapid bus line within the Twin Cities region, following the A Line on Snelling in Saint Paul/46th St in Minneapolis, the C Line along Penn Avenue North to downtown Minneapolis and the D Line running primarily on Chicago Avenue South and Emerson/Fremont Avenues North. The alignment and preliminary station locations for B Line BRT were informed by several Metropolitan Council transit plans, including the 2012 Arterial Transitway Corridors Study. The contents of this corridor plan were developed by Metro Transit staff throughout 2019 and 2020 with input and feedback received from the B Line Technical Advisory Committee and through community outreach and engagement activities. City staff participated in the B Line Technical Advisory Committee.
Metro Transit released the B Line Draft Corridor Plan on February 22, 2021, which provided information on the proposed station locations and corridor-wide recommendations for routing, bus service, and bus priority treatments. More than 660 comments were submitted on the draft plan focused on bus priority treatments, station/platform placement, and the proposed mix of bus service within the corridor. After the conclusion of the draft B Line Corridor Plan process, the draft document was revised based on feedback received. The fully revised document is this recommended B Line Recommended Corridor Plan.
Changes were made to three stations on Lake Street to better accommodate traffic safety street improvements being considered through ongoing interagency coordination between Metro Transit, Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis. Recommended platform locations are now shown on the nearside of the intersection in each direction for Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue, Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, and Lake Street and Cedar Avenue. Originally, in the Draft Corridor Plan, farside platform locations were identified at these locations. City staff are supportive of on-going analysis and interagency coordination that looks at broader changes to Lake Street including B Line bus priority treatments to improve transit speed and reliability, improving traffic safety and expanding multi-modal options along this critical corridor in the City.
The Recommended Corridor Plan is being circulated for public review and comment though August 13, 2021. Following the public comment period, Metro Transit will review final comments received and bring a final plan to the Metropolitan Council for approval in fall 2021. The approved B Line Recommended Corridor Plan will finalize station locations to inform the future design phase. Design and engineering is expected to begin shortly after the plan approval in fall of 2021 and continue into 2022. Construction is targeted to begin in 2023, while construction of some stations will be coordinated with other projects and may be built sooner. The B Line is planned to open for service in 2024.
City of Minneapolis staff from Public Works and Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) have prepared the attached formal comments on the B Line Recommended Corridor Plan.
Recommendation
Approve the attached comments on the B Line Recommended Corridor Plan and direct the Public Works Department to submit the comments to Metro Transit.