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https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNORGMETC/bulletins/2f3fe26
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On Sept. 27, a Metropolitan Council committee will consider the approval of the METRO B Line Final Corridor Plan. The full Council would take action on the plan on Oct. 13. This plan is the result of two years of planning and public engagement along the B Line corridor. Approval of the plan sets the corners of the intersections where stations will be placed, and allows the project to move into the design phase.
Since B Line planning began in 2019, Metro Transit has received over 2,500 comments about the project. Feedback from customers and community members has been essential in forming the corridor plan.
Throughout 2021, we engaged the public and asked for feedback on the Corridor Plan. Metro Transit received more than 800 comments during two comment periods in the spring and summer. Due to COVID-19 protocols, nearly all comments were submitted electronically, with a smaller number submitted as part of limited in-person conversations along the corridor or by phone.
Some broad themes of comments we received included:
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Support for the implementation of bus priority treatments
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Questions and/or concerns around the proposed mix of bus service in and along the corridor
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Questions and comments around station spacing
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Questions and comments around specific platform locations
Once the plan is approved, station locations will be finalized and design will begin. Construction is planned to begin in 2023.
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Final Corridor Plan?
Once approved, this plan will set the locations for B Line stations moving forward. In addition to defining station locations, the corridor plan contains information about BRT station facilities and service characteristics, and potential bus priority treatments.
The Final Plan does not include any changes to station locations included in the July 2021 Recommended Corridor Plan, but does include updates based on feedback from project partners and community members:
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Responses to comments about specific station locations, including issues to address throughout the detailed engineering phase.
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More on continued evaluation of bus lanes on Lake Street in partnership with Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis.
Approval of this plan will not finalize decisions about bus lanes, but sets stations in the best locations to accommodate them. Metro Transit, Hennepin County, and the City of Minneapolis are continuing to work together to address multiple goals for the Lake Street corridor, including transit speed and reliability, pedestrian and traffic safety, and general mobility improvements. It is anticipated that County-led advanced technical analysis will be completed by end of 2021 with additional public communication to follow.
survey work begins in September
As a first step in designing B Line stations, Metro Transit has contracted with several firms to assist with field survey. Starting in mid-September, contractors began surveying planned B Line station locations.
During this phase, surveyors gather information at the ground level, to create accurate measurements and learn more about the existing space and utilities below the ground at future B Line stops to help designers and construction crews avoid foreseeable problems before construction.
Over the next few weeks you will see trucks and members of our project team in the area conducting field surveys and making field observations and measurements to help engineer and design the project.
If you have questions about the B Line or survey activities, contact Cody Olson, Community Outreach Coordinator.
How can I learn more and stay involved?
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