urbanMSP

Updates to Rush Line proposals that seemed significant to me.

The slides for each meeting are posted on the project website:
https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... ct-library

Do any BRT projects use gates? Blue Line has gates on Hiawatha? I'm guessing this is unlikely to happen.
It's also weird that Mendota Circle is a public street. Seems like just a driveway to a private parking lot. Does *not* seem deserving of a traffic light.

Design guide for the segments along the railroad right-of-way-https://www.ramseycounty.us/sites/defau ... ovdelivery

I didn't read through all of it so maybe the answer is in there, but what happens when people inevitably bike and walk on the busway despite the trail being right next to it?

Also it seems odd that the right-of-way is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, which means more studies "to understand the effects to this resource." I know it was the first railroad corridor between St. Paul and Duluth, but it's already changed a lot (the most obvious being the tracks are gone with a trail put in its place) so why the studies?

This design does fee closer to the “light rail on wheels” that is often discussed with BRT but it is the other segments that concern me with this line. A 40+ min travel time from WBL to St Paul is just too long.

Eventually we will have to figure out how to make this line and green line faster to attract peak ridership.

What's the time cost of the jog to Maplewood Mall?

What's the time cost of the jog to Maplewood Mall?

That either should be removed or do an online station with a skyway.


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How much travel time could be saved if all the signalized intersections on the route had bus preemption?

There's a Station survey to fill out for the Rush Line, the given deadline is by August 1st! https://experience.arcgis.com/experienc ... fa984c9f2/

I believe these 15% Design Plans are pretty recent, they are dated 7/1/20. I wasn't aware that bus lanes were planned (as part of a separate project) for Robert St. in downtown, for instance. All in all, a fairly significant amount of this project has dedicated lanes or a busway, compared to the BRT we are used to around here.

https://www.ramseycounty.us/sites/defau ... 200702.pdf

Rush Line PAC had a meeting yesterday, slides available in the project library.

https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... ct-library

Every now and then I see one of these about the Rush Line. And they are usually White Bear Lake residents.

I've seen a couple about how the Rush Line will destroy Downtown White Bear Lake, among other letters that can be summed up as "this is change and change is scary."

The Environmental Assessment is available to view.

https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/r ... al-process

Rush Line is officially the Purple Line:

https://metrocouncil.org/Council-Meetin ... ne)-B.aspx

Thanks, I hate it

Thanks, I hate it

What do you think it should be called?

IMO Silver Line would be a better fit, with the 2 east metro BRTs then being Gold and Silver. Plus it would reserve Purple for Riverview. But mostly I’m annoyed at the Purple thing because a Ramsey County Commissioner long ago earmarked Purple for this line specifically because it gave them Purple & Gold, which they stated they wanted because it is the Vikings’ colors (which is moronic reasoning since neither line goes to the Vikings stadium).

Gonna be crucial in St Paul's bid to get the next vikings stadium though. Playing the loooong game.

Gonna be crucial in St Paul's bid to get the next vikings stadium though. Playing the loooong game.

Don't give them any ideas.

If I could go back in time and change it, this would've been the Silver Line since I can see the logic with having the Gold and Silver Lines both being in Downtown St. Paul, serving the east metro, and running mostly on dedicated bus lanes. Also reserve purple for a light rail route, likely Riverview, so people would be riding the Purple Train (too bad it wouldn't go near Paisley Park).