Statement on Acceptance of Route Recommendation for Blue Line Extension by the Corridor Management Committee
On August 3, 2020, I released a Statement on the New Direction for the Blue Line Extension Light Rail Project. For years, the plan was for the Blue Line Extension to use BNSF Railway’s right of way and rail corridor. It became clear a few years ago this was not an option, and so the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County announced a new direction for the project that was set to explore multiple revised route options to move this project forward. Over the last 18 months, project staff have been working with community to study the potential revised route options and collect resident feedback.
On April 22, 2022, I released a statement that Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council had decided on a recommended route and were seeking resident feedback. For over a month, we received feedback on the potential route and are thankful to all who participated and provided their opinions.
What’s New?
On June 9, 2022, the Corridor Management Committee (an advisory group to the Metropolitan Council, made up of representatives from corridor municipalities, the Metropolitan Council, community voices, as well as Hennepin County and MNDOT) voted to accept the route recommendation report that revises the 2012 BNSF-aligned route. This vote allows the project to move forward in the federal review process. There will be over a year of further analysis, engagement, and feedback before the details of the final route are determined. This includes station locations and configurations, the connection between Target Field Station and West Broadway Ave, and how the line fits within specific areas.
The route recommendation that was passed by the Corridor Management Committee included an amendment that ensured all options between Target Field and West Broadway Ave will be studied—this is a direct response to resident feedback and concerns around using Lyndale Ave for this route. To be clear, the June 9 vote was not a vote between using Lyndale Ave or Washington Ave; both of these options and potentially others will be studied in the next stage.
What’s Next?
It is very exciting to advance the project into the Environmental Review stage for the recommended route alignment. Over the next 18-24 months, the project team will work with the federal government to develop an amended Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). You can view the original 2016 EIS here. This review will consider a wide range of impacts from the project, including transit, traffic, groundwater, housing, historical preservation, noise, environmental justice, and more. A rigorous Environmental Review process is essential to quantify construction and operating impacts and protect local communities from harm.
On June 14, 2022, the Hennepin County Public Works Committee will consider a resolution supporting the route recommendation, including additional study of options between Target Field Station and West Broadway. Should this resolution pass out of committee, it will be considered by the Hennepin County Board on June 21, 2022. While these votes are not formal aspects within the federal project governance process, they do represent decisions that the project office will implement.
On June 22, 2022, the Metropolitan Council will consider the route recommendation for adoption.
What This Means for District 2 Residents
Since it was announced in August 2020 that the BNSF rail corridor was no longer an option for this project, the project team worked with communities along the route and the Federal Transit Administration to revise the alignment to keep the project moving forward.
The recent vote supports revising the route alignment so that the Blue Line Extension will begin in Minneapolis at Target Field Station, take a to-be-determined path to West Broadway Ave and continue west to County Road 81 through Robbinsdale and Crystal before turning northward onto West Broadway Ave in Brooklyn Park, terminating at the Target North Campus.
This proposed revised alignment has several key impacts to District 2 residents:
The route is no longer on Hwy 55, which means there are several pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements in the City of Minneapolis that must be prioritized to fulfill promises to residents—in working with MNDOT and MetroTransit, there are demonstration pilot projects to study reducing traffic lanes, shortening crosswalk distances, and improving transit station conditions.
Further to the west on Hwy 55, the new route means that the City of Golden Valley no longer has a station—in partnership with corridor cities, we are advancing a Hwy 55 Bus Rapid Transit route to ensure strong transit connections and pedestrian improvements occur for Plymouth and Golden Valley residents to access the broader regional system.
Since West Broadway Ave was selected and the community engagement process made it clear that transit access on Lowry Ave is still needed, I am advocating for Bus Rapid Transit investment for Lowry Ave to ensure all of North Minneapolis is able to connect to the broader regional system and receive long overdue economic development investments.
There are also several parts of the route alignment that will be more deeply considered in the Environmental Review Process—the connection between Target Field Station and West Broadway Ave (which includes Lyndale Ave, Washington Ave, and other potential links), as well as West Broadway Ave between Lyndale and Irving (potential alignments related to 21st Ave North).
My Commitment
The new recommended route of the Blue Line Extension is positioned to serve among the most racially and economically diverse communities in Hennepin, while also connecting transit-reliant residents to the broader regional transit system. This will change the trajectory of what’s possible for so many of our neighbors—connecting students to education, patients to healthcare, and workers to jobs.
I’m committed to this route representing community input, such as what route the BLRT Extension will take between Target Field Station and West Broadway Ave. To pursue this work equitably, we must also recognize that large-scale public investments can accelerate patterns of residential and economic displacement. The Blue Line Extension presents an extraordinary opportunity to prioritize racial equity and economic justice in our work. These investments must be designed to prevent displacement, repair historical harms, and build civic capacity within the marginalized communities we serve.
This is why Hennepin County and Metropolitan Council are proud to have established an Anti-Displacement Workgroup for the Blue Line Extension project that centers community voices and convenes diverse partners and stakeholders to develop robust anti-displacement measures that counter the unintended harm from large scale infrastructure projects, with specific goals to reduce racial disparities and to create more equitable economic strategies.
The Anti-Displacement Workgroup is comprised of community leaders, business owners, residents, and experts. Hennepin County and Metropolitan Council are partnering with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to lead this bold effort to build in creative ways to incorporate community in the design, construction, and operation of this large scale infrastructure project. Our teams work deliberately every day to ensure the Blue Line Extension benefits corridor residents; and minimizes physical, economic, and cultural displacement.
I am deeply committed to working with partners at every level of government and in our communities to ensure this investment benefits corridor residents, builds community wealth, and meaningfully addresses decades-long patterns of disinvestment.
How to stay involved
There will be lots of ways to engage with project leaders and planners during the next 18-24 month state and federal environmental review.
Learn more about work to date and share your feedback at www.bluelineext.org
Join the conversation and share your story at www.mybluelineext.org
Attend upcoming community events and meetings
Connect and/or co-host an event with a community engagement cohort partner
Contact your elected officials and convey your support, comments, questions, and feedback regarding the Blue Line Extension
If you have further questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to Constituent Services & Policy Aide Bill Emory at bill.emory@hennepin.us