Mark Reilly writes, "The Star Tribune reports on the Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue intersection, where 10 years after the Hiawatha LRT light rail opened, the neighborhood is still dominated by enormous surface parking lots."
See the full article in the Mpls/StPaul Business Journal at:
www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2014/02/hiawatha-lrt-doesnt-deliver-lake.html
"The area is one of Minneapolis' busiest thoroughfares, with both bus and rail connections, and logic says it'd make for natural residential development. But consultants said not enough has been done to tie into the transit systems. (There are exceptions: Developer Steve Wellington is building apartments near a strip mall, and some housing sits atop an Aldi store.)"
Friday, May 16, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
BRT on Snelling Avenue set to open in 2015
Story copied and pasted from Star Tribune (May 13):
Last chance to weigh in before A-Line BRT moves forward
Posted by: Tim Harlow Updated: May 12, 2014 - 1:10 PM
Bus service along Snelling Avenue is going to change, and this week the public has one last opportunity to check out plans and provide feedback for the area's second Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Four sessions are set for this week and next in St. Paul and Roseville.
Metro Transit is finalizing plans on how each of the stations will fit into the sidewalk and street along what is being branded as the A-Line. Starting in 2015, the BRT line will shuttle passengers between 46th Street Station on Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and Rosedale Center, following closely what is now Route 84.
The A-Line will operate much like the Red Line in the southern metro. On that line, buses operate in a similar fashion as light-rail trains in that they stop only at designated stations about every half-mile along the route. By having fewer stops, Metro Transit says the new A-Line will offer trips 12 minutes faster than on the current Route 84 bus. Trip time will drop from 48 minutes to 36 minutes, Metro Transit said. The A-line will allow riders to connect with both the Blue and Green light rail lines, and serve destinations such as Hamline University, Macalester College, Minnehaha Park, and the Midway and Rosedale shopping centers.
Bus riders will be able to give feedback on station designs, comment on how they should function, and what features they should have. Metro Transit conducted a survey on Facebook and Twitter, and many of those who responded wanted the following amenities: Weather protection, enhanced maps, real-time information, destination signs, security cameras and bike racks.
The agency says A-line "will be the first in a system of additional urban BRT lines to be build over the next several years."
The area's first BRT line opened last June. Operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, the line provided 130,733 rides from June through December 2013.
Bus service along Snelling Avenue is going to change, and this week the public has one last opportunity to check out plans and provide feedback for the area's second Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Four sessions are set for this week and next in St. Paul and Roseville.
Metro Transit is finalizing plans on how each of the stations will fit into the sidewalk and street along what is being branded as the A-Line. Starting in 2015, the BRT line will shuttle passengers between 46th Street Station on Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and Rosedale Center, following closely what is now Route 84.
The A-Line will operate much like the Red Line in the southern metro. On that line, buses operate in a similar fashion as light-rail trains in that they stop only at designated stations about every half-mile along the route. By having fewer stops, Metro Transit says the new A-Line will offer trips 12 minutes faster than on the current Route 84 bus. Trip time will drop from 48 minutes to 36 minutes, Metro Transit said. The A-line will allow riders to connect with both the Blue and Green light rail lines, and serve destinations such as Hamline University, Macalester College, Minnehaha Park, and the Midway and Rosedale shopping centers.
Bus riders will be able to give feedback on station designs, comment on how they should function, and what features they should have. Metro Transit conducted a survey on Facebook and Twitter, and many of those who responded wanted the following amenities: Weather protection, enhanced maps, real-time information, destination signs, security cameras and bike racks.
The agency says A-line "will be the first in a system of additional urban BRT lines to be build over the next several years."
The area's first BRT line opened last June. Operated by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, the line provided 130,733 rides from June through December 2013.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Riverview Study Consultants Hired
On Thursday, April 10th, the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) of the Riverview Corridor Study met at Union Depot to approve the Technical Advisory Committee's (TAC) recommendation to hire two firms for the study.
AECOM of Los Angeles was chosen as the engineering firm to conduct the Pre-Project Development portion of the study. They will be partnering with ZAN Communications of Minneapolis who will work on community outreach and goal setting. Zan Associates will use a new technology called MindMixer to hold electronic town hall meetings.
The local Saint Paul team of Ted Davis and Mike Zipko were approved for the communications piece of the Riverview Corridor Study. They will do social media outreach, branding, strategy, media relations, and community relations as the expected 17 month project moves along.
The recommendation from the PAC on hiring these two teams next goes to the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, which must also approve the two hires. Tim Mayasich, Director of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, expects approval by the end of April or beginning of May, and completion of contract documents by sometime in June.
AECOM of Los Angeles was chosen as the engineering firm to conduct the Pre-Project Development portion of the study. They will be partnering with ZAN Communications of Minneapolis who will work on community outreach and goal setting. Zan Associates will use a new technology called MindMixer to hold electronic town hall meetings.
The local Saint Paul team of Ted Davis and Mike Zipko were approved for the communications piece of the Riverview Corridor Study. They will do social media outreach, branding, strategy, media relations, and community relations as the expected 17 month project moves along.
The recommendation from the PAC on hiring these two teams next goes to the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, which must also approve the two hires. Tim Mayasich, Director of the Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority, expects approval by the end of April or beginning of May, and completion of contract documents by sometime in June.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Riverview Corridor Study hires consultants
Interviews of three consultant teams to do community outreach/branding were held today. The three teams were:
- Ted Davis/Mike Zipko
- Jeff Dehler/Jill Brown
- ZAN/Tempo
- AECOM
- SRF/Nelson-Nygaard
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