METRO Orange Line bus rapid transit will open for service this Saturday, Dec. 4. The 17-mile line, which runs from Burnsville north to downtown Minneapolis, will provide frequent, all-day service in both directions, seven days a week. Learn more about opening day celebrations and the new bus service.

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services is moving ahead with plans to relocate the Hastings Wastewater Treatment Plant. The facility needs to be replaced because significant plant upgrades — required to handle future growth and potential regulatory changes — are not feasible at the present site. A public hearing on the draft facility plan for the new plant is set for Jan. 5.

We are encouraging members of the public and advocates to join the Metro Transit Police Work Group at its Dec. 17 meeting to provide comments about safety and policing on our transit system. The work group has been meeting twice a month since September to prioritize and discuss safety issues related to our transit system. More about the meeting and how to comment. 

This month the Met Council's Transportation Advisory Board approved release of the 2022 Regional Solicitation. Met Council action is expected in December. In February 2022, local governments and their partners will be able to apply for federal funding for road, bridge, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvement projects. Read about funding changes and see the draft application.

The Met Council is seeking input from communities on Growing Shade – Tree Planting Prioritization and Maintenance Tool. If you can spare 5-10 minutes of your time to engage with the beta version of the tool and answer this short survey, this feedback would help us refine and improve the tool. You can also find a short training video here. Please respond to this survey by Friday, Dec. 3.

Metropolitan Council Environmental Services received the Public Works Project of the Year Award on Nov. 19 from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Public Works Association. The award recognizes the successful construction of a project to rehabilitate an aging sewer near Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis. The project faced some unique challenges.

Metro Transit recently began piloting a new application that provides audio instructions to blind and low-vision customers as they navigate the transit system. The Aira app allows a trained representative to see the steps that customers are taking as they approach a transit station. Read about the experiences of early testers.