B Line Library

Project Library

As the B Line project advances, project documents will be posted here. 

Newsletters

B Line Update #3 (November 2019)
B Line Update #2 (August 2019)
B Line Update #1 (April 2019)
 

Project Mailings and Fliers

 

News Coverage

B Line route may extend to downtown St. Paul- Midway Como Monitor, December 29, 2019
Feedback sought on planned B Line stops- Southwest Journal, December 13, 2019
Met Council gets behind a faster ride for St. Paul commuters- Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, October 28, 2019
Faster transit coming to Marshall- St. Paul Monitor, June 14, 2019
Weigh in on Southwest's bus rapid transit routes- Southwest Journal, April 23, 2019
 

Past Events

2020
> Virtual Hamline-Midway Transportation Committee Meeting- May 4th, 6:30 p.m.
> Virtual Bike, Walk, Roll Event, St. Thomas University- April 23rd, 12:00 p.m.
> Midtown Business Association- February 19th, 12:00 p.m.
> Phillips West Neighborhood Meeting- February 13th, 6:00 p.m.
> St. Paul College Student Senate- February 12th, 12:00 p.m.
> Community Connections Conference- February 1st, 9:00 a.m.
> St. Paul Public School Choice Fair- January 25th, 9:30 a.m.
> Longfellow Community Council- January 7th, 7:55 p.m.
 
 
2019
> South Uptown Holiday Gathering- December 17th, 5:00 p.m.
> Union Park District Council/ St. Thomas University Meeting- December 9th, 6:30 p.m.
> Horn Tower Residents Council- November 12th, 3:00 p.m.
> Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee- October 28th, 4:00 p.m.
> Longfellow Community Council Annual Meeting- October 22nd, 5:00 p.m.
> East Calhoun Community Organization Annual Meeting- Oct. 3, 7 p.m.
> Longfellow Community Council- Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.
> MPS Welcome Back Traditional Powwow (South High School)- Sept. 27, 4 p.m.
> MNUFC Match Pop-Up- Sept. 25, 3 p.m.
> Midway Pop-Up: Walmart- Sept. 15, 10 a.m.
> Union Park Ice Cream Peanut Butter and Jam- Sept. 14, Noon
> Selby Avenue Jazz Festival- Sept. 14, 8 a.m.
> Selby Ave Office Hours (Boyd Park)- Sept. 4, 3:30 p.m.
> Midway Pop-Up: Target- Aug. 29, 3:30 p.m.
> 35W@94 Lake Street Station Tour- Aug. 28, 6 p.m.
> St. Paul College Bus Stop Pop-Up- Aug. 28, 8 a.m.
> Selby Ave and Dale Street Bus Stop Pop-Up- Aug. 27, 3 p.m.
> East Isles Farmers Market- Aug. 15, 4: p.m.
> Selby Ave Office Hours (Golden Thyme Cafe)- Aug.14, 9 a.m.
> Open Streets- Lake and Hiawatha- July 21, 10 a.m.
> Somali Independence Day- June 29, Noon
> Sips and Scoops (La Michoacana)- June 27, 6 p.m.
> St. Paul Jazz Festival- June 22, 2 p.m.
> LynFest- June 22, Noon
> Community Peace Celebration- June 21, 2 p.m.
> South Uptown Neighborhood Meeting- June 18, 7:30 p.m.
> Sierra Club- June 6, 6 p.m.
> Open Streets: Lyndale- June 2, 10 a.m.
> MayDay Festival: May 5, 10 a.m.
> B Line May 2019 Open Houses: (Materials in English) (Materials in Spanish)
May 1, South High School, 4 p.m.
May 2, Merriam Park Library, 4:30 p.m.
May 4, Oxford Community Center 11 a.m.
May 22, Walker Library 4 p.m.
 

Past Studies

Arterial Transitway Corridors Study (2012)

In 2011-2012, Metro Transit studied 11 urban corridors with high-ridership bus routes that connect major destinations for implementation of enhanced bus service. The Lake Street corridor ranked highly in this evaluation and was recommended for further study.

Midtown Corridor Alternatives Analysis (2014)

The Midtown Corridor Alternatives Analysis evaluated the benefits, costs, and impacts of implementing a rail or bus transitway in the Midtown Corridor. The study was initiated to identify a transit alternative that best meets the transportation needs of the local community in terms of technical feasibility, costs, and benefits. The analysis showed that corridor demand is sufficient to support both rail in the Midtown Greenway and enhanced bus on Lake Street. At the conclusion of the analysis, the project’s Policy Advisory Committee unanimously recommended a locally preferred alternative that includes both rail in the Midtown Greenway and enhanced bus on Lake Street (being advanced now as the B Line project).

Project Collaboration

METRO Green Line Extension: West Lake Street Station

The West Lake Street Station will be the western terminus of the B Line and will be built in coordination with the Southwest LRT project. The B Line station will be built on the West Lake Street bridge and will have access to the LRT station via stairs and elevator. 

Rendering of Lake Street and I35W Station from ground levelMETRO Orange Line: Nicollet Avenue, I-35W, 4th/5th Avenue Stations

The I-35W and Lake Street Station will provide a connection to the METRO Orange Line and the broader 35W@94:Downtown to Crosstown project includes a redesign of the freeway between I-94 and 42nd Street. The project is being led by MnDOT in partnership with Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit. 

B Line stations at Nicollet Avenue and 4th/5th Avenue will also be constructed as part of the reconstruction of Lake Street adjacent to I-35W.

Hi-Lake Interchange Study

The Hi-Lake Interchange Study is being led by the City of Minneapolis. The purpose of this project is to develop potential solutions to improve the pedestrian and bicycle environment of the Hi-Lake interchange while maintaining vehicle operations on Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue. The study is being led by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, in partnership with Metro Transit and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. 

An eastbound enhanced bus stop at Lake and Hiawatha was built in conjunction with the construction of the South Minneapolis Regional Service Center in 2017, and will be used by the future B Line. The westbound station location will be  implemented in coordination with this project.