Local business, higher education & government leaders meet with US Senators & members of Congress about Gold Line BRT
Project will apply to enter the Project Development phase through Federal Transit Administration this fall
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In September, a delegation of 11 business, higher education and government leaders from the East Metro traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional members about the next steps for Gateway Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (Gold Line BRT).
Delegation leaders included Washington County Board Chair Lisa Weik, who chairs the Gateway Corridor Commission, Ramsey County Commissioner Jim McDonough and Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega. Three mayors from cities along the METRO Gold Line route also attended - Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens, Oakdale Mayor Paul Reinke and Maplewood Mayor Nora Slawik. State Representative Kelly Fenton, Saint Paul City Councilmember Jane Prince, Woodbury Chamber of Commerce Board Chair and small business owner Gina Kazmerski, 3M's Tom Geier, Tom Cook from Metropolitan State University and Charles Carlson, Senior Manager of BRT/Small Starts Projects for Metro Transit also participated in the meetings.
The delegation met with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Senator Al Franken and three members of the U.S. House of Representatives - U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer and U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, as well as staff from the office of U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis, who was called away for a floor vote.
Minnesota's U.S. Senators and members of Congress expressed support for the METRO Gold Line project and were pleased to see the united, bipartisan support from partners along the corridor, including counties, cities and the business community. The delegation shared updates about the project, including plans for Gold Line BRT to apply to be in Project Development with the Federal Transit Administration this fall. Ultimately Gold Line BRT will seek funds from the federal Capital Investment Grant Program, which could pay for approximately 45 to 50 percent of the project's capital costs.
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Lessons learned from Eugene, Oregon's successful BRT line
Group visited the Pacific Northwest to learn firsthand from government and business leaders
In order to learn more from a community that has seen positive economic and community benefits from building a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, a group from the East Metro visited Eugene and Springfield, Oregon at the end of May/beginning of June.
Eugene-Springfield is home to the Emerald Express (EmX) BRT. Community leaders there selected BRT after a comprehensive process and it was the first operating BRT system in the United States - opening in 2007.
Within a year, ridership had doubled in the corridor. An extension opened in 2011 and a third extension, to West Eugene, opened earlier this month.
Lessons learned from the educational trip to Oregon included the importance of clean and consistent station design, a unique route with good end points, real time information and signage, and strong collaboration between government units, higher education institutions and the business community.
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Management of Gold Line BRT project transitions from Gateway Corridor Commission to Metropolitan Council
Council is the regional expert in designing, constructing and operating transit
Gold Line BRT is at an important stage in its development. The project is moving forward and as part of Gold Line's next phase, management of the project has transitioned from the Gateway Corridor Commission to the Metropolitan Council, who will be the grantee for the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant Program.
The Metropolitan Council is the regional expert in designing, constructing, and operating transit, they will be leading the final phases of the project. Metro Transit, a division of the Metropolitan Council, will provide project management and technical staff for the newly formed Gold Line Project office along with staff from Washington and Ramsey Counties and MnDOT. Washington County, Ramsey County and the five cities along the line will continue to be active partners in ensuring that Gold Line BRT effectively serves residents, employees, businesses, higher education institutions, and non-profits in the East Metro region.
Working on station area design and determining the best ways for people to access the line will be among some of the important work coming up.
Additional key activities include hiring project staff, refining the schedule to deliver the project in an efficient manner, and working with the Federal Transit Administration to apply to the Capital Investment Grant Program which could pay for approximately 45 to 50 percent of the project through federal funds.
At the beginning of 2018, work will begin on what is called Project Development. Project Development is a two-year phase and the main work products will be to further the design of the Gold Line and obtain environmental clearance. There will be many opportunities for members of the public to weigh in on project design decisions and comment on the environmental process. Stay tuned for more information on those processes.
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Here are some recent news articles and letters to the editor about Gold Line BRT.
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About Gateway Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit
Gateway Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit will be Minnesota's first BRT line in a dedicated busway. This cost-effective transportation solution is critical to the future development of our region.
All-day transit service would stop at multiple stations and include connections to the growing regional transit system. The work is led by the Gateway Corridor Commission, which is comprised of local elected officials, business and community leaders. More information is available at
www.theGatewayCorridor.com
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Updates and information can also be found on Facebook at
facebook.com/gatewaycorridor
and on Twitter at
@GoldLineBRT
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