The westbound bus lane on Marshall Ave. between Wilder St. and Cretin Ave. will remain following a review of bus lane performance and public feedback.
In May 2025, as Metro Transit prepared for the June launch of METRO B Line service, it the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced it would be reducing I-94 to two lanes at the beginning of June to complete bridge repairs and other maintenance work.
Anticipating that I-94 lane reductions would displace traffic to the Lake St.-Marshall Ave. corridor and other nearby east-west routes, Metro Transit approached St. Paul and Ramsey County to request the addition of a temporary bus lane on Marshall Ave. between Wilder St. and Cretin Ave. The goal was to minimize delays in a highly congested area and support fast, reliable B Line service for its June 2025 launch and through the duration of I-94 repair work.
MnDOT completed its work in September 2025, and after the freeway was fully reopened, Metro Transit continued observing speed and reliability benefits from the temporary bus lane. In November 2025, Metro Transit, St. Paul, and Ramsey County decided to extend the duration of the temporary bus lane while conducting public engagement to determine whether it should remain in place.
Community engagement and survey results
Metro Transit engaged residents, businesses, property owners, riders, and other community members about the bus lane between June 2025 and April 2026. Outreach included door-knocking, mailers, flyers, notices, newsletters, rider alerts, pylon advertisements, an on-street message sign, and a public survey.
The survey was available from December 2025 through April 2026 and received 1,336 responses. Of respondents, 89% were aware of the bus lane and 86% preferred keeping the bus lane with parking options. Additionally, 489 respondents provided comments supporting the bus lane. 12% of respondents preferred permanently removing the bus lane, and 85 respondents provided comments opposing it. Full survey results are available here.
Bus lane operations and benefits
The bus lane supports faster and more reliable B Line service by enabling the B Line to avoid congestion during rush hours, improving the consistency of travel times. Since the B Line replaced Route 21, ridership through this area has increased by 50% or more. Riders use the B Line to reach work, school, healthcare appointments, grocery stores, shopping, friends, and other destinations.
The westbound bus lane between Wilder St. and Cretin Ave. operates on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bicycles and vehicles making right turns are permitted to use the lane during operating hours.
Approximately 40 on-street parking spaces are affected during bus lane hours. Parking is not permitted on westbound Marshall Ave. between Wilder St. and Cretin Ave. from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. On-street parking remains available before 7 a.m. and after 6 p.m. on weekdays and throughout the weekend.
Have questions or comments? Email the project at [email protected].