urbanMSP

Do you have thoughts on the 3 options, as well as any thoughts about the newly completed section of Minnetonka Blvd?

Why Are Metro Transit Buses So… White?

I’ve always wondered why all of Metro Transit’s buses are plain white. Don’t get me wrong — they’re clean and functional — but visually, they don’t do much to add character to the city. So many other cities have colorful transit fleets that help give their ...

Boo! This proposal seems very 1980s and 1990s Minneapolis- wipe out the urban fabric to build something new that will fail in 20- 30 years. The City literally paid $25 million in 1999 dollars to move the facade of the theater on the Block E site to become the facade of the now vacant Cowles Center ...

My Lord, I hope it doesn't become a data center! This site in the heart of the hottest residential neighborhood in Minneapolis should most definitely become high-density housing and not an emty data center.

So, people are predicting that the BLE corridor is going to be a dense, walkable area in 30 years? They recently reconstructed Botineau Boulevard, so that isn't likely to change in 50+ years. On one side of that Stroad is a rail line and the other side is low density housing. Is there any plan being ...

The BLE isn't worth the cost even if it were $2.2 billion for 11k daily riders. The current and future potential land uses are abismal and the speed of the train is just too slow. Would anyone here predict the cost of the line is going to come in $700 million - $1 billion below budget? Look at ...

Honestly,: I’m not on board with the Blue Line Extension either. Like Nils, I think this route is a mess when you look at current and potential land uses, the insane cost, and the low densities along the way.

Putting rail down the middle of a multi-lane highway like Bottineau Boulevard? Terrible ...

I disagree that the Duluth-Superior metro area is "too small" to justify passenger rail through the Northern Lights Express project. The reality is the Duluth-Superior metro has nearly 300,000 people — it’s the second-largest metro area in Minnesota and a significant regional hub. That’s more than ...

Does anyone here know where this project stands at this point? My understanding is that the MN State Passenger Rail Plan needed to be updated before submitting an application for Fedral funds. It seems unlikely that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will approve matching funds, right? Congressman ...

I’m shocked by the decision to reroute the #23 (soon to be #38) to run on Lyndale Avenue between 38th and 36th Streets. The City of Minneapolis recently reconstructed Bryant Avenue specifically to support two-way bus traffic on that stretch, ensuring continued service to Walker. Because of the need ...

The U.S. Census Beureau released their 2024 estimates for towns and cities this week: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html

They estimate Minneapolis has a population of: 428,579, which is down slightly from their 2020 estimate of: 429,983. As ...

Uggh! I love rail transit, but our region is just too sprawling, car-oriented and unwalkable to make regional rail worthwhile. the new Gold Line, which obviously isn't rail, cost $500+ million and has awful land uses along most of the route. The Green Line Extension is dominated by sprawl, park ...

Hmmm... This is not all Metro Transit's fault. MNDOT has been plowing hundreds of millions of dollars into I94 and Hwy 10 lane expansions, the cities along the route have done little to make the stations less car oriented and the MN Republican Party has made opposing rail a significant part of their ...

The $700+ million price tag seems so out of touch considering the current political reality and budget challenges. Are Roy Wilkins and the River Center even needed as venues in the metro right now, and the existing Xcel Energy Center seems in pretty nice shape. How could all this cost so much money ...

Let's hope this thing gets decent ridership since it cost more than $500 million... However, I predict 800 riders average per day. I hope the result will be an end to constructing these highway BRT lines to unwalkable, car-oriented places that demonstrate over and over that their land uses are ...

Wow! Thank you for doing all that work. It is strange that Metro Transit doesn't present this data for the public. outside of the LRT and ABRT ridership. It's really helpful to know ridership of local buses.

I've sure noticed the huge decline in ridership on the Route #23 bus over the years, for ...

BikesonFilm: Where did you get information that any potential freeway lids for the I-94 rebuild would come from the same funding source as ABRT? I thought those funds came from a transit sales tax dedicated to Metro transit. Also, the last I heard, MNDOT's metro region was getting $3 billion a year ...

Since the "boulevard" options are off the table, I hope advocates can push for more freeway lids. I went to Augsburg College back in the day and absolutely hated that roaring, stinking freeway outside my dorm window. I'd love to see a lid between Riverside Ave and Cedar Ave. A lid reconnecting ...

Yeah. I get that the Wells Fargo Tower is one of the premier office buildings, but it just sold for a fraction of the price and it is 40% empty. Is it not feasible that some portion of that empty space gets converted to residential creating a mixed-use building? I imagine a Caesar Pelli designed ...

I've always wondred if the Wells Fargo Tower might be a candidate for residential conversion, at least in part of the building. The Art Deco setbacks create interesting angles and somewhat smaller floor plates on the upper floors and sides of the building. I remember visiting a law office about 25 ...