Blue Line/Riverview Connection Study

• Introduce study: Spring 2022. 
• Evaluate feedback and develop alternatives: Spring - Fall 2022. 
• Evaluation results and determine next steps: Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 

The Blue Line/Riverview Connection Study team is made up of members from Ramsey County, Metro Transit, MnDOT, Hennepin County and the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The  Blue Line-Riverview Connection Study originated through adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Riverview Corridor in late 2017. The Riverview Pre-Project Development Study analyzed multiple routes to connect downtown Saint Paul, MSP Airport, Mall of America and the neighborhoods between.

The route through the former Ford Site (now Highland Bridge) showed promise but ultimately was not chosen for Riverview due to lower projected ridership, longer travel times, increased operating costs and a travel market more focused on downtown Minneapolis than Saint Paul. Though it was not chosen for Riverview Corridor, policymakers identified the need to look at ways to better connect the greater Highland Park neighborhood of Saint Paul with the METRO Blue Line and the future Riverview Corridor. Specifically, they identified a triangular study area that extended from approximately Randolph Avenue and West 7th to 42nd Street and the METRO Blue Line in Minneapolis and south to the Highway 5 Mississippi River bridge.

As a result of these conclusions, the Riverview Corridor Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and the City of Saint Paul both adopted resolutions requesting the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RRA), the City of Saint Paul and Metro Transit to work in consultation with the Hennepin County RRA and the City of Minneapolis to analyze future transit needs and potential transit service improvements along the Ford Parkway Corridor and greater Highland Park neighborhood.

This request specifically included an evaluation of how to best serve and connect the Ford Corridor, including a future potential redeveloped Ford Site, to the future Riverview Modern Streetcar West 7th Street Corridor, the existing METRO Blue Line, the existing METRO A Line and the existing Metro Transit fixed route transit system with new transit options and/or restructured existing fixed route service. 

Community members have raised the following questions in engagements including the March 31, 2022 virtual Open House (PDF). Watch a video of the open house.

How does Riverview serve the future Highland Bridge Development, and how do we avoid Cretin Avenue turning into a long on-ramp to I-94 from the increased traffic volumes? 

The Highland Bridge Site will not be directly served by the Riverview Modern Streetcar project.   The Blue Line/Riverview Connection Study will evaluate restructuring of existing fixed route transit service as well as potential new transit service options to serve the future Highland Bridge Development.     

Traffic impacts of the Ford site were studied as part of a 2019 AUAR and concurrent traffic study. The City of Saint Paul is also planning an update of these documents. 

Read about traffic impacts of the Ford Site.

Is adding other infrastructure and multi-modal connections (electric car charging, single-use electric cars, car share, bike network and pedestrian network integration) part of the scope of this study? 

Adding other infrastructure like car charging stations is not a focus of the study. However, we will evaluate how transit options connect to other modes such as vehicles, bicycles, mobility hubs, scooters, etc.  

The project team will be working with agency partners to determine how a variety of multi-modal options can work together to improve access to transit. 

Does the Walk Access to High Frequency Transit Map include routes outside of the study area, like Route 63 on Grand/Cretin?  

Yes, the project team used a program called Urban Footprint to complete the walkshed analysis.

How will bus service, even if Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), meet the anticipated demand from Highland Bridge. Is that demand not more appropriate for rail?  

Future demand for transit in the study area will be accommodated in different ways. Some of the demand will be absorbed by current transit service. If existing service does not fully accommodate all of the forecasted demand, new service options will be explored. A wide array of transit service solutions will be studied as part of the transit service alternatives evaluation process. Some of the factors that will be considered in this evaluation include travel behavior and associated origins and destinations of transit trips, reliability of the service, cost to implement and operate the service, anticipated ridership and ability to implement the service.    

How will the proposed Riverview Modern Streetcar affect projected ridership?  

The Blue Line/Riverview Connection Study will be looking at ways to best connect existing transit service along the METRO Blue Line, the METRO A Line and the planned Riverview Modern Streetcar project. Forecasted transit ridership along all of these major transitways will be assumed in the baseline, or no-build analysis.  

What is the latest update on the Riverview Modern Streetcar? 

The Riverview Modern Streetcar project is refining the Locally Preferred Alternative chosen during a previous study to develop the best streetcar alternative as well as the best bus alternative.  

Please visit RiverviewCorridor.com for the latest updates and to sign up for regular updates via email or social media.

Is altering River Blvd. part of what you're looking at in this study? (Reducing to one travel lane, one travel lane plus one bus lane, etc.)  

We are early in the study process and are not yet to the point where we are identifying specific transit options.  

Will the proposed Riverview Modern Streetcar route along West 7th change to accommodate the residents and users of Highland Bridge or potentially make it easier for them to walk along the Canadian Pacific Railway Spur/secondary track (CP Spur)?  

The Riverview Modern Streetcar project team is refining the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) which is a route along West 7th Street. In a previous study, the Riverview project team considered a route along the CP Spur through the Ford Site. This alternative was eliminated from consideration due to lower ridership and higher operating cost compared to the LPA. Transit service and bicycle/pedestrian facilities along the CP Spur and through the Ford Site will be evaluated as part of the Blue Line/Riverview Connection Study.   

How does Ramsey County promote and improve bus service? Would the county provide funding to make existing routes more frequent, or to establish new routes?  

Ramsey County works with Metro Transit and all of its agency partners to promote and improve all forms of transit service in the region. The County’s statutory role is to initiate and develop significant regional transitway projects as well as fund the vast majority of the non-federal capital cost and half the operating cost of these regional transitways. The County then works with Metro Transit to construct and operate these regional transit lines.  

When will additional transit options be accessible for the greater Highland area?  

Transit service needs in the greater Highland Area will be evaluated through the year 2030. The Metro Transit Saint Paul Highland Park Transit Service Study completed in November 2019 concluded that existing transit service will be adequate to accommodate transit demands in the greater Highland Park neighborhood for at least the next 10 years. A schedule for implementing additional transit service recommendations beyond the 10-year timeframe will need to be approved by Metro Transit and will be contingent upon funding availability.