This fall, the METRO Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) staff updated and refined project plans up to 60% completion and shared those plans with the community. Metro Transit sought feedback using online open houses, in-person outdoor pop-up events, a survey and an online comment form. We collected feedback from over 100 people and heard that they:
• Liked the station design and features shown in the station illustration.
• Recommended seating inside the station shelter and requested security features like cameras and emergency call buttons.
• Expressed the importance of creating safe trail connections between stations and neighborhoods to ensure people can walk, bike, and use a mobility device to access stations.
• Commented on pedestrian accessibility and said textured warning strips should be prominent and pedestrian crosswalks should be easy and safe to navigate.
For more details on the community feedback, check out the engagement summary.
The updated project design plans can also be viewed on the project website.
Despite 2020 being a very challenging year, the METRO Gold Line BRT project reached several milestones around environmental review, design, engineering, and community engagement, including:
• Cleared federal and state environmental assessment review requirements.
• Determined that Gold Line construction and operation is not expected to have significant environmental impacts.
• Advanced project designs from 15% to 60% complete with the help of community input.
- Received feedback from more than 200 people via virtual or in-person engagement.
- Incorporated that feedback into the design plans including providing more trail connections between stations and neighborhoods, ensuring stations are accessible for all, and adding more landscaping and lighting around the station areas.
• Welcomed 18 new community and business members and 13 returning members to the METRO Gold Line Community and Business Advisory Committee, which advises the Council on how the Gold Line can best serve the adjacent neighborhoods and businesses.
• Continued design and engineering work to remain on schedule to begin major construction in 2022 and operation in 2024.
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The Gold Line project is anticipating more design and engineering work next year as we prepare for construction beginning in 2022, including:
• Receiving approval from the Federal Transit Administration to officially enter the engineering phase of the project.
• Completing final design and sharing additional details on the design of the Gold Line route, station areas, and shelters with the community.
• Receiving contractor bids and selecting a contractor for major Gold Line construction beginning in 2022.
After a summer of listening and learning with the public, and reviewing 2,600 survey responses about bus rapid transit (BRT) priorities, Metro Transit has evaluated and identified the top candidates for future BRT lines as part of Network Next. Now, we’re asking the public to rank the top corridors to help prioritize implementation using an online survey. Watch a short video about Network Next and take the survey until it closes on January 20, 2021.
Connect with Gold Line staff
If you have any questions for comments, reach out to Liz Jones, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 651-602-1977 or elizabeth.jones@metrotransit.org
Liz is working remotely. Please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as soon as possible.
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Get the latest Gold Line BRT updates by following us on Twitter @GoldLineBRT and Facebook @MetroTransitMN.
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