From Nick Thompson, Deputy General Manager of Capital Projects
In just over 100 days, we’ll open the region’s next Bus Rapid Transit line – the METRO Orange Line on Interstate 35W.
This is an incredibly important and exciting milestone to look forward to, and I want to thank all those who are already doing their part to make sure opening day and all the days that will follow are a success.
There’s a lot that needs to happen between now and December 4, too.
Bus Operations will soon begin teaching operators how to safely navigate the new Lake Street Station and a transit-only ramp from downtown Minneapolis to I-35W.
Bus Maintenance is receiving and preparing a fleet of specially equipped 60-foot buses that will be housed at the Heywood Garage, while Service Development is finalizing schedules for the Orange Line and all the connecting services customers can use to get to and from its stations.
Staff in Engineering & Facilities, Street Operations, Revenue Operations, Marketing, Outreach and at the Metro Transit Police Department will also remain deeply engaged in the lead-up to opening day.
Supporting all this work is our BRT Projects office, which has helped lead this project from start to finish and coordinated not just with internal partners but many other stakeholders, including the Minnesota Department of Transportation and cities throughout the I-35W corridor.
Watching all this work come together is impressive. It’s also a reminder of everything it’s taken to get to this point.
In the 1970s, some of the country’s first express buses began operating on the newly opened I-35W. Decades later, the I-35W & 46th Street Station, MnPASS lanes and Marq2 combined to make transit a more attractive option in the corridor.
In recent years, transit has been a reliable way to avoid the hassles of significant construction as MnDOT has rebuilt bridges, access ramps and sections of the interstate.
The Orange Line builds on this tradition and serves a symbol of transit’s future in our region.
That future, as we have seen since the start of the pandemic, is one that compels us to make all-day, all-purpose service more widely available throughout our region.
The Orange Line and other BRT and light rail investments provide exactly this kind of service, along with boarding areas and buses that are more accessible and inviting.
So again, as we prepare for opening day, I want to thank all those who have helped get us to this point and whose hard work over the coming months will get us ready us for opening day and beyond.
We are on the brink of another important moment for our organization and our region, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what happens next.
Save the Date: Lake Street community celebration
MnDOT will celebrate the completion of I-35W construction at a community celebration on Lake Street on Sunday, Sept. 12. The event will also provide an opportunity to learn more about the Orange Line. Activities will be held on the pedestrian plaza beneath the I-35W bridge between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. An Orange Line bus will be at the event, along with project staff. The new I-35W & Lake Street Station will not open until later this year, after construction is completed. For more information, visit dot.state.mn.us.
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All Met Council employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday, Oct. 11, or get regular COVID-19 tests to report for on-site work. Information about submitting proof of vaccination, testing expectations and exemptions will be shared in the coming weeks.
How to get a COVID-19 vaccine
Free Pfizer vaccines are available at the Council’s Well@Work clinics on Mondays and Thursdays. To make an appointment, call the scheduling line for the location you’d like to visit:
- Downtown St. Paul: 375 Jackson Street, Suite 240 (skyway level): 952-967-5474
- Heywood: 560 6th Avenue North, Minneapolis: 952-967-7468
If you’ve previously been to a Well@Work clinic, you can schedule an appointment online at healthpartners.com. Appointments can also be scheduled through the state’s Vaccine Connector.
Minnesotans 12 years of age and older who receive their first vaccine dose between July 30 and August 22 are eligible to receive a $100 Visa gift card. Learn more about the incentive at mn.gov/covid19/100.
Vaccines key to ending pandemic
The overwhelming majority of new COVID-19 cases are linked to the highly contagious Delta variant and affect unvaccinated Minnesotans.
Less than 0.2% of fully vaccinated Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, peer-reviewed studies show all three vaccines authorized for use in the United States are highly effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19.
To date, more than 71% of Met Council employees have been fully vaccinated, according to data from HealthPartners.
Learn more about vaccine safety
Vaccine boosters likely needed
The Minnesota Department of Health said this week that booster doses “likely will be needed in the near future,” and that boosters should become available beginning the week of September 20.
Booster timing is expected to be eight months after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. State public health officials said “there is plenty of vaccine available,” and that they’d work to provide equitable access to boosters when needed.
Mask requirement extended
A federal order requiring masks on transit has been extended through Jan. 18, 2022, to help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
Extra masks continue to be made available at garages so operators can offer them to passengers who attempt to board without. Reminders about the requirement are also being provided through on-board and station announcements and the continued use of the overhead display.
Masks are also required in indoor passenger waiting areas and inside all Metro Transit facilities.
Those who can telework should continue at least through Oct. 31
The Council's pandemic response team is now instructing employees who can telework to continue doing so through at least through October 31.
That’s the mantra behind route and schedule changes that will take effect this weekend on Route 3, which connects downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul.
To help prevent customer confusion, more trips will run the full length of the corridor and a new route, Route 33, will replace the handful of Route 3 trips that traveled south of Como Avenue.
In downtown Minneapolis, Route 3 will also be extended further north and be moved from 3rd and 4th streets to Washington Avenue, improving transit access in the North Loop neighborhood.
To make service faster and more reliable, stops will be spaced further apart and, in some cases, moved to new locations so buses can get through intersections before stopping to pick people up. Schedules have been adjusted to better match actual travel times.
“These kinds of incremental changes improve service for customers and operators alike,” said Michael Mechtenberg, manager of speed and reliability.
In addition to the service improvements, new shelters and concrete pads that make it easier to board have been installed at several stops.
The changes were coordinated through the Better Bus Routes program, which aims to make local routes more reliable and easier to use. Routes 2 and 63 have seen similar improvements, and attention will now turn to Route 22.
The goal is to focus on a different route each year. To select future corridors, staff will consider the speed and reliability of existing service, as well as corridor demographics and pending construction projects led by local partners.
In the future, a portion of the Route 3 corridor will see further improvements with the opening of the METRO H Line, a Bus Rapid Transit line that will operate on Como and Maryland avenues between downtown Minneapolis and the Sun Ray Transit Center.
Reminder: Service changes take effect on August 21
Several scheduled service changes will take effect on Saturday, Aug. 21. Several express routes serving downtown Minneapolis, downtown St. Paul, and the University of Minnesota will be restored or expanded and light rail trains will run more frequently in the morning and late afternoon.
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A new mural featuring historic photos and two recovered destination scrolls – the precursor to electronic overhead displays – was installed last week in an atrium at the Heywood Garage. Graphic Designer Missy Dodge, Public Arts Administrator Mark Granlund and Principal Project Coordinator Molly Ellis led the project.
A history display in the entryway of the Metro Transit Police and Office Facility remains under development. Employees who have historical photos or items to share are invited to contact Drew Kerr.
Two long-serving operators are joining Metro Transit’s Wall of Fame, which celebrates operators who retire with more than 30 years of service.
> East Metro Operator James Leonard retires this week with 34 years of service. Leonard grew up in St. Paul taking routes 16 and 21 to and from school and to the roller rink. After a 7-year career in construction, his brother-in-law, an operator, encouraged him to apply at Metro Transit.
"I really enjoyed being onboard with customers and seeing a variety of different people," Leonard said. “And building relationships with those customers who rode with me five days a week.”
In retirement, he plans to leave winter behind, first by moving to Las Vegas and then eventually hopes to live abroad in southeast Asia.
> South Operator Ann Marie Deneen, another St. Paul native who grew up riding Route 21, retired last January after 40 years of service and recently shared her story. Deenen became a bus operator after working as a hairdresser and delivery driver for Sherwin Williams.
She started at the old Snelling Garage, when there were very few female operators, and worked out of South Garage from 1980, the year it opened, until her retirement. At South, she was known for organizing festive retirement parties, with custom transit cards and balloons.
While Ann Marie was always giving, she said the job also had its own rewards and provided stability during life’s difficult times. “This work kept me happy when it wasn’t so easy,” she said.
In retirement, she and her sisters are caring for their father; Ann Marie is also enjoying time with her husband, beloved cat, family and friends.
Read more about Leonard, Deneen and other employees who have retired with 30+ years of service at metrotransit.org/greatpeople.
Reminder: Operator hiring event Saturday, Aug. 21
Job seekers interested in becoming bus operators can attend a one-day hiring event on Saturday, Aug. 21. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Instruction Center, and provide an opportunity to apply and interview in one visit. Employees who refer successful candidates can earn a $600 bonus.
Metro Transit employees come from many cultures and backgrounds.To celebrate this diversity, employees who are proud to share their heritage and identity will be regularly featured on the Riders' Almanac blog. Read more stories here.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I grew up in Assin Manso, Ghana, in a typical African household. My dad was an electrical engineer, my mom was a nurse, and I was one of ten children. We had a very decent life. I went to the best schools and to college, where I studied philosophy. As a kid, trains would go by and I was just fascinated with them, which is why the idea of working in rail was so exciting later in life.
How did you become interested in moving to the United States?
The small town where I grew up is on a very important river, known as the Slave River, which was a passageway for people who were being shipped from Africa to places like the United States and Brazil where they were enslaved. As I child, I saw visitors come to step foot in the river and learned that was a show of respect for their ancestors. That’s what originally aroused my curiosity in the United States.
How did you arrive in Minnesota?
When I was about 32, I applied for a Diversity Visa and got an opportunity to move to the United States. After living in Columbus, Ohio, a friend encouraged me to move to Minneapolis. I arrived here on Thanksgiving Day 2002 and originally worked as a mail carrier. In 2007, I became a bus operator. Since then, I’ve worked as a train operator, relief instructor and for the past three years, as a rail supervisor. Along the way, I’ve earned degrees from St. Mary’s and Metro State and have had three children. It’s been a great experience.
Many of our employees come from parts of the world that have experienced conflict, and the unfolding situation in Afghanistan may be an unsettling reminder of these traumas. Please be mindful and empathetic during this difficult time. If you would like guidance on how to be supportive, please contact Equity & Inclusion Senior Manager Celina Martina.
All employees are reminded that free professional counseling services are available through Sand Creek. For more information, call 888-243-5744 or visit sandcreekeap.com (use the code metcouncil to create a new account).
South Operator Scott Stone recently received a commendation for helping a customer get to their destination.
He was so detailed regarding the information I need to get to my transfer, and destination. He was like Google Maps but so much more. His level of professionalism, genuine kindness, and positive attitude set the tone for my day. He didn't balk at my question, nor tell me to use my phone to look it up. He reminded me of bus drivers from my childhood days. It was like I had bumped into a family friend.
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The Green Line Extension’s first track segment was placed last week at a new station being built near downtown Hopkins, another major milestone for the project.
Construction on the Green Line Extension is more than halfway complete, with 11 of 16 stations under construction or finished. When complete, the Green Line Extension will bring light rail west from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie.
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