Robbinsdale extension
Victory Memorial Parkway proposal
Metro Transit pursued a link between the Victory neighborhood and downtown Robbinsdale with the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board (MPRB), the City of Robbinsdale and Hennepin County.
Staff considered many factors: route directness, safety, access to important destinations, available resources, the impact of traffic, street width and pavement and its impact to residents, businesses and parks.
The 42nd Avenue/Victory Memorial Parkway/Lake Drive routing was recommended in the December 2006 Northwest Restructuring report. It was selected as the most direct routing, with homes set back at least one-half block from Memorial Parkway. It operates in part on parkway land; similarly, transit buses operate on parkways in seven Minneapolis areas:
– Wirth Parkway (Routes 5, 7, 14)
– Cedar Lake Parkway (Route 9)
– Dean Parkway (Route 25)
– Lake of the Isles Parkway (Route 25)
– East River Road (Route 3)
– Stinson Parkway (Route 25)
– St. Anthony Parkway (Route 11)
State law mandates that regional transit providers can operate on any public roadway without the consent of the public agency in charge of the roadway. The only exception is if the Met Council seeks to use a designated parkway for new regular-route service in the city of Minneapolis. It must obtain permission from and is subject to reasonable limitations imposed by a joint board consisting of two representatives from the Metropolitan Council, two members of the Minneapolis Parks Board and a fifth member to be jointly selected.
This group met in September 2007 and unanimously approved, with the understanding that Metro Transit would ensure that baseline pavement improvements are made to the pavement on Victory Memorial Parkway between 42nd and 45th avenues to accommodate buses. The Joint Board also called for Metro Transit to make reasonable efforts to fulfill the long-term goal of operating Òenvironmentally friendly busesÓ such as hybrids and ultra-low sulfur diesel buses on the parkway.
View the state statute that governs bus operations on public roadways
See minutes from the Joint Board’s meeting
Learn more about Metro Transit’s Go Greener environmental initiative
