- Construction update
- Bielenberg Bridge Opening Celebration
- Woodlane Station Park & Ride Construction Bid Awarded
- Downtown Station Spotlight (final in series)
- Metro Transit Rebounding Ridership
- Added Service Hours
- Transit Safety
Gold Line construction wrapped up for the 2023 construction season. Over the winter, work continues, including retaining walls, noise walls, bridges, and the Woodlane Station Park and Ride ramp. Highlights from 2023 include:
Downtown St. Paul
- In 2023, crews worked at platform locations in Downtown St. Paul, replaced underground utilities, installed platform foundations, reconstructed roadways, curbs, and sidewalks.
East St. Paul
- Sections of the noise wall along Hudson Road between Mounds Boulevard and Johnson Parkway were removed in spring as crews prepared the area for construction. In the fall, crews began rebuilding noise walls and will continue noise wall construction over the winter.
- The Maple Street Pedestrian Bridge closed in 2023. Crews demolished the Maple Street Pedestrian bridge in the summer and placed new bridge beams in the fall. The pedestrian bridge is expected to reopen in summer 2024.
- The Earl Street bridge closed in spring 2023, and in the summer as crews retrofitted the existing bridge and built new retaining walls in the area. The bridge reopened last summer.
- Hudson Road between Maria Street and Frank Street was reconstructed, underground utilities were replaced including water main, sanitary and stormwater sewers.
- Crews continued construction on the new bus-only bridge near Etna Street in East St. Paul. When completed, the bridge will connect Hudson Road by carrying Gold Line buses over Etna Street, Highway 61 and Interstate I-94 ramps.
- The Ruth Street bridge was closed last year while a new section of the bridge was constructed, and the westbound I-94 on-ramp was reconstructed to accommodate new bus-only lanes. The future Gold Line route will run underneath the bridge. The bridge reopened to traffic last fall.
Maplewood, Landfall, Oakdale
- Last fall, the I-94 ramp and frontage road at Century Avenue/Highway 120 were reconstructed into a new configuration and preparations for bridge construction over Century Avenue/Highway 120 began.
- Last spring, crews installed underground stormwater sewers along the future Gold Line route near Helmo Avenue and 4th Street in Oakdale.
- Crews built the new Bielenberg Drive bridge connecting Helmo Avenue in Oakdale to Bielenberg Drive in Woodbury. The bridge opened in early December.
Woodbury
- Crews reconstructed Bielenberg Drive in Woodbury between Hudson Road and Guilder Drive, upgraded stormwater and sanitary sewers, and water main, and built new bus-only lanes along Bielenberg Drive. Crews built new retaining walls, installed new traffic signals, and reconstructed trails.
- Crews relocated utilities along the Bielenberg Drive corridor and Guider Drive.
What to Expect in 2024
Construction activities continue over the winter. Expect activities throughout the project corridor to ramp up early spring 2024. Highlights of 2024 activities include:
- In Downtown St. Paul, crews will begin work at the five platform locations in Downtown St. Paul and continue bus shelter construction at areas worked on in 2023.
- In East St. Paul, crews will work in new areas constructing bus-only lanes, build bus-only and pedestrian bridges, replace sidewalks, and construct station platforms. The Maple Street pedestrian bridge will reopen in 2024. Expect closures at Johnson Parkway, McKnight Road and White Bear Avenue while crews construct bridges.
- In Maplewood, crews will construct bus-only lanes and the Maplewood Station.
- In Landfall and Oakdale, crews will construct bus-only lanes, reconstruct the 4th Street bridge over I-694, and build the Helmo Station.
- In Woodbury, crews will construct stations, reconstruct Guider Drive, and continue construction of the Woodlane Park & Ride structure.
Federal, state, county, city, and local leaders celebrated the opening of the new Bielenberg Bridge as part of the Gold Line BRT project with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new bridge over Interstate 94 creates a connection between the cities of Oakdale and Woodbury. Ahead of Gold Line opening in 2025, the Bielenberg Bridge is now open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
 
Donlar Construction was awarded the bid to construct the Woodlane Station Park & Ride in Woodbury, the eastern terminus of the BRT line. The future Park & Ride site is near the intersection of Woodlane Drive and Guider Drive in Woodbury. Once completed, the Park & Ride will be a 3-level parking structure with over 500 parking spaces, and a BRT station, making it a vital multi-use station for the Gold Line BRT. Donlar Construction began working at the site in mid-summer and work is scheduled to be completed in 2024.
 Image: Woodlane Drive Station Site Plan Looking North
Downtown Stations
Concluding the Station Spotlight series, we’re highlighting the five Gold Line stations located in Downtown St. Paul. Four of the five downtown stations are comprised of a pair of platforms, one for eastbound and westbound travel. Downtown St. Paul stations are:
- Union Depot & Sibley Street/Union Depot & Wacouta Street Station
- 6th Street & Jackson Station/5th Street & Robert Station
- 6th Street & Minnesota Station/5th Street & Cedar Station
- 6th Street & Washington Station/Rice Park Station
- Smith Avenue Ramp
Station highlights
Downtown St. Paul Stations will provide Gold Line customers with connections to event centers, retail businesses, restaurants, parks, and other major transit connections. Station highlights include:
- New stations, lighting, raised platforms, extra benches
- Major destinations: CHS Field, Union Depot, Downtown St. Paul Farmer’s Market, Mears Park, Rice Park, The Ordway, Saint Paul RiverCentre, Xcel Energy Center
- Proximity to nearby bus routes and transit stations: Union Depot, Smith Avenue Transit Center, Green Line
 Image: Rice Park Station illustration
 Image: 6th Street & Washington Station illustration
Ridership saw more than a 15 percent increase in 2023 from 2022 across all modes, and thanks to the fantastic efforts to hire and retain more operators, bus service increased nearly 10 percent from the start of the year. In October, daily Northstar service doubled, and we jumped back into serving Twins Playoffs and Vikings games. Event ridership continued to climb, and our ability to deliver exceptional service was never more apparent than when we rallied around the Taylor Swift and Beyonce mega-concerts.
The new sales tax funding has paved the way for increased investments in clean, updated facilities and equipment, efforts that will continue throughout 2024.
Metro Transit added nearly 10 percent more bus service hours in 2023, bringing service levels to nearly 90 percent of those in 2019 on BRT and local bus routes. It took great effort from many departments across Metro Transit. In 2023, 42 bus routes were improved, yielding an additional 540 weekday, 380 Saturday and 215 Sunday scheduled bus trips for customers.
In 2023, we made significant strides addressing public safety concerns on transit. While we still have much work ahead of us to ensure we are always delivering a safe, welcoming experience for all customers and employees, it's worth noting that Metro Transit recorded a decrease in crime in the second and third quarters of 2023, compared to the first quarter of this year. In 2023, we implemented new approaches to public safety by expanding the layers of official presence on our system to complement the tireless efforts of Metro Transit police officers. This includes adding supplemental security officers at several facilities, community-based organizations riding light rail and connecting people to social services, and Community Service Officers who are now inspecting fares and issuing citations for non-payment.
Additionally, in 2023, the state legislature established a new transportation-dedicated sales tax for the seven-county metro region. A portion of this new sales tax revenue will help fund transit operations and maintenance. Unlike many transit agencies across the country facing budget shortfalls as they run out of federal COVID relief funds, our region's sales tax will provide Metro Transit with more funding certainty than we previously could rely on. The new sales tax funding has paved the way for increased investments in clean, updated facilities and equipment, efforts that will continue throughout 2024.
Connect with Gold Line staff
If you are interested in connecting about the Gold Line project, please reach out to Emmanuel Larayetan, Associate Community Outreach Coordinator at 651-602-1922 or emmanuel.larayetan@metrotransit.org.
Please leave a voicemail message, and your call will be returned as soon as possible.
Call or email the Gold Line construction hotline with questions or concerns: 651-602-1919 or goldline@metrotransit.org
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Get the latest Gold Line updates by following us on Twitter @GoldLineBRT and Facebook @MetroTransitMN.
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