Purple Line BRT anticipates a recommended route, northern endpoint by fall 2024
Over the next year, project staff will continue our partnership with local communities to study White Bear and Maryland avenues as a potential route for the METRO Purple Line, compared with the Bruce Vento Regional Trail Corridor option.
This engagement will result in project leadership recommending one of these alignments and the northern endpoint by fall 2024.
Staff this year are evaluating the impacts – including traffic, property access, and safety – of roadway design options to accommodate dedicated transit lanes with bus rapid transit station platforms on White Bear and Maryland avenues. Project staff will engage stakeholders in the neighborhoods and surrounding communities throughout the study for critical feedback on potential station locations, preliminary roadway design options, preferred design concept, and route alignment and end-point recommendation. We are studying the area between Johnson Parkway in Saint Paul and Maplewood Mall Transit Center. Extensions to Vadnais Heights or Century College may be studied after this initial evaluation is complete.
By spring 2024, staff anticipate having the full pros and cons in comparing the White Bear Avenue route to the trail corridor option available for consideration – including cost to build and operate the service and analysis of ridership.
Staff also will refresh the same data for co-locating the Purple Line with the trail to allow comparisons.
If project leaders and stakeholders recommend a route using Maryland and White Bear avenues by fall 2024, a supplemental Environmental Analysis will be needed. Completing the analysis would likely take another year.
The Purple Line project’s Corridor Management Committee directed staff to study the feasibility of operating the route on White Bear and Maryland avenues in dedicated lanes with traffic reconfiguration. That direction followed a letter from Ramsey County commissioners to the City of Maplewood in March, calling for a re-evaluation of White Bear Avenue as a route. The county suggested evaluating the possibility with vehicle traffic reduced from two lanes to one lane in each direction if Purple Line is added to that corridor.
Provide your feedback on the White Bear Avenue Route Option
Interactive feedback map
Tell us your thoughts about the potential of operating the Purple Line on Maryland and White Bear avenues to travel to the Maplewood Mall area instead of the route through the Bruce Vento Regional Trail Corridor, north of Maryland Avenue. Check out our interactive feedback map on the project website to view the White Bear Ave. route option, and tell the project team what you like about the corridor today, what concerns do you have about Purple Line on Maryland and White Bear avenues, and what would you like to see in the future.
Upcoming community meetings
The project team will host three community meetings to present areas proposed for station locations and hear public feedback on the evaluation of the White Bear Avenue route option so far.
Community meeting - people interacting
IN-PERSON MEETINGS
Hayden Heights Library (#1)
- Tuesday, July 25, 5 – 7 p.m
- 1456 White Bear Ave., St. Paul, MN 55106
Maplewood YMCA Community Center (#2)
- Wednesday, Aug. 9, 6 – 8 p.m.
- 2100 White Bear Ave., Maplewood, MN 55109 Heritage Banquet Room D
VIRTUAL MEETING
Microsoft Teams Meeting (#3)
- Thursday, Aug. 3, noon – 1:30 p.m.
- Meeting link will be available on the website in advance of the meeting.
Business inventory and access survey
Do you own or work at a business along Maryland or White Bear avenues in this new route study area? The project team will visit businesses in this corridor to better understand access and operation details specific to the business community. We invite to you complete this survey if you couldn’t talk to us in person.
Save the date: Corridor walks this fall
Project staff are planning a few pop-up events and corridor walks this fall to speak with businesses and residents along Maryland and White Bear avenues to understand what’s working well today and what could be improved along the corridor. More information will be shared about the specific dates but if you are interested in participating or have any questions, please contact Colin Owens, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 612-618-0495 or colin.owens@metrotransit.org.
Join a station-area working group!
We are looking for a diverse group of community members to share their ideas for areas around Purple Line stations in the City of Saint Paul. Your input will help shape these neighborhoods and help us make future development decisions.
What is station area planning?
Station-area planning supports development of housing and businesses near transit stations. It also identifies ways to make it safer to walk and bike to transit stations. Examples of questions in station area planning include:
- Which sidewalks or street crossings need to be safer?
- What kinds of development would be good for your neighborhood (housing, retail, etc.)?
- What properties in your neighborhood would you like to see redeveloped?
How to get involved
This is where you come in! If you live, work, or play along the Purple Line route in the City of Saint Paul, then this group is for you.
- The Saint Paul Station Area Working Group will meet three times from August 2023 to July 2024.
- All station-area working group members will receive $25 per meeting.
- We will provide meals at in-person meetings.
Fill out the participation interest form
For questions about the station area planning working groups, please email Denetrick Powers at powers@neoopartners.com.
 Lower segment of the METRO Purple Line in Saint Paul - Station Area Working Groups
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