 The METRO Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is having a busy summer hosting open houses and neighborhood meetings, staffing tables at community events, passing out flyers and knocking on doors, and talking with residential and business representatives throughout the corridor. These activities help to gather feedback from the community that will help shape the design of the project. Also, some field work has started out in the corridor, so you may have seen project staff doing survey work or soil testing.
We know you want to stay updated on the project, so here’s a glimpse of what we did this past month. We hope you are having a golden summer!
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Community members came out to the East Side Community Center at Harding High School in Saint Paul on July 10 to provide input on how the proposed Gold Line BRT should travel through their neighborhood on Hudson Road between Etna Street and White Bear Avenue. The feedback collected is crucial and will help decide whether the Gold Line BRT will travel in bus-only lanes or in regular, mixed traffic along this stretch of the proposed route. At the meeting, people expressed a preference for mixed traffic in this area; however, some liked the bus-only lanes option because it would restrict street parking and require a new pedestrian bridge over I-94. Concerns for the project included impacts to the neighborhood such as noise during construction and when the buses start operating, safety around the bus lanes, decreased property values and increased on-street parking around the BRT station.
Thank you to all who came out to ask questions and provide feedback on behalf of your community! Couldn’t make the meeting? View the Hudson Road neighborhood meeting materials and share your comments through an online survey by Aug 17, 2018.
 Two corridor-wide open houses were held on July 17 and July 18 to provide community members an opportunity to view the proposed station locations and route for the Gold Line BRT and learn more about the project. Both open houses were well-attended with upwards of 60 people at each event. The Gold Line project team along with staff from the corridor cities were on hand to speak with community members and answer their questions.
Many in attendance shared valuable feedback about the project, offering suggestions and design recommendations which project staff will consider as design and environmental review move forward this year. Some comments heard at the open houses included overall support for the new BRT line, a desire to extend the route further, preferences for station locations, new bicycle/pedestrian connections to stations and concerns with impacts to private property. The Gold Line is committed to public engagement, and we appreciate the time and input of all who attended.
If you were not able to attend an open house, all materials shared at the meetings are available on the Gold Line project website. If you want to share any comments or input, you can send them via email to goldline@metrotransit.org.
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 At the June meeting of the Gold Line Community and Business Advisory Committee (CBAC), members reviewed pedestrian and bicyclist connections near the proposed Gold Line stations. CBAC members want to make sure design decisions made now best serve their communities well into the future. Reviewing connections for the stations now is important in developing future pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure around the BRT stations that improves access to transit and creates more opportunities to access neighborhoods, businesses and work places.
The CBAC co-chairs were also announced at the June meeting. Darrell Paulsen, Maplewood resident, and Steve Morris, Tamarack Road business representative, were selected as co-chairs and will also serve on the Corridor Management Committee (CMC) by providing a corridor-wide community perspective to the design decisions made by the CMC. Both Darrell and Steve have an extensive history of service in their respective communities and they are excited for their responsibility to serve the Gold Line corridor in a new capacity.
View more information about the CBAC and meeting materials from the June meeting.
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The Gold Line project team has had great conversations and received excellent input from community and business members this summer. We look forward to continuing to connect with individuals and groups in the coming months. We will be at the following events, so come out and talk with us:
• Washington County Fair, Aug 1-5, Stillwater
• National Night Out, Aug 7, 6 – 8 pm, Conway Rec Center, St. Paul
• Saint Paul Police Department Safe Summer Nights: Aug 9, 5 – 7 pm, Conway Rec Center, St. Paul
• Neighborhood House Fresh Produce Distribution: Aug 14, 3 – 4:30 pm, Dayton's Bluff Elementary, St. Paul
• Minnesota State Fair, Aug 23-Sept 3, Metro Transit booth
Stay updated and view a list of upcoming events.
 While construction isn’t expected to begin on the Gold Line BRT project until 2022, from time to time you will see crews in the field carrying out tasks like surveying property and testing soil. Earlier this summer, testing was done to determine the location of wetlands and sensitive plants.
All of this work is part of the Environmental Assessment being completed for the Gold Line project. Identifying benefits and impacts to the environment, community and businesses is an important part of the project and is required by state and federal law. When this work is done, we can identify solutions and mitigate the impacts of the project.
The Environmental Assessment is a very thorough process, taking up to two years to complete. When a draft report is complete, a public comment period allows individuals, businesses, communities and even government agencies to offer input for the final version of the document, which is then submitted to the Federal Transit Administration as part of the process to obtain federal matching funds for the project.
Lean more information about the Environmental Assessment.
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The Corridor Management Committee (CMC) is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Aug 2 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm. CMC meetings are open to the public and are held at the Metropolitan Council Chambers, 390 Robert Street North, Saint Paul. More information about the CMC members and meetings.
Get the latest Gold Line BRT updates by following us on Twitter @GoldLineBRT and Facebook @MetroTransitMN.
If you previously followed Gold Line on Twitter @GoldLineBRT managed by the Gateway Corridor Commission, make sure to re-follow @GoldLineBRT again as the Metropolitan Council now manages this handle! Also, the Gateway Corridor Commission is now Gold Line Partners: follow them on Twitter @GoldLinePrtnrs.
If you were forwarded this e-newsletter and want to receive this information directly, sign up to receive the METRO Gold Line project updates: www.metrotransit.org/gold-line
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