B Line Project

Project Library

As the B Line project advances, project documents will be posted here. 

Newsletters

B Line Update #8 (March 2022)
B Line Update #7 (September 2021)
B Line Update #5 (February 2021)
B Line Update #4 (November 2020)
B Line Update #3 (November 2019)
B Line Update #2 (August 2019)
B Line Update #1 (April 2019)
 

Project mailings and fliers

Corridor Plan Flyer (February 2021)
Corridor Plan Mailing (February 2021)
 

News coverage

Metro Transit seeks public feedback on B Line bus- Pioneer Press, February 27, 2021
Beefed up bus service coming to Lake Street- Southwest Journal, November 2, 2020
Metro Transit bets big on the appeal of rapid buses to boost ridership- Star Tribune, December 24, 2019
Making a B Line between Uptown Mpls. and downtown St. Paul- Villager, December 15, 2019
Feedback sought on planned B Line stops- Southwest Journal, December 13, 2019
Met Council gets behind a faster ride for St. Paul commuters- Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, October 28, 2019
Faster transit coming to Marshall- St. Paul Monitor, June 14, 2019
 

Past events

2022

> Virtual Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Engineering Subcomittee Meeting- March 8, 4:00 p.m.
> Virtual McKnight Community Workshop- March 8, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual Sierra Club Meeting- March 7, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual Longfellow Community Council Meeting- March 2, 5:30 p.m.
> Virtual McKnight Nicollet Workshop Part 3- March 2, 5:00 p.m.
> Virtual McKnight Nicollet Workshop Part 2- March 1, 5:00 p.m.
> Virtual Hi-Lake Project Open House- March 1, 6:00 p.m.
>Virtual McKnight Minnehaha and Lake Meeting- February 23, 5:00 p.m.
>Virtual McKnight Activating the Hiawatha Underpass Meeting- February 23, 5:00 p.m.
> Virtual Hi-Lake Open Project Open House- February 22, 5:30 p.m.
> Virtual Minneapolis Pedestrian Advisory Engineering Subcomittee- February 17, 4:30 p.m.
> Virtual Lake Street Council Board Meeting- February 17, 8:00 a.m.
> Virtual East Phillips Improvement Coalition Meeting- February 10, 6:00 p.m.
 

2021

> Virtual Longfellow Community Council Meeting- October 5, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual CIDNA Board of Directors Meeting- August 11, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual Sierra Club North Star Chapter Meeting- August 2, 6:00 p.m.
> Downtown Minneapolis Farmer's Market- July 29, 8:00 a.m.
> Lex-Ham Community Council Music Night- July 21, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee- July 13, 6:00 p.m.
> Virtual Lex-Ham Community Council Meeting- March 29, 7:00 p.m.
> Virtual Midtown Business Association- March 17, 12:00 p.m.
> Transit Accessibility Advisory Committee- March 3, 12:00 p.m.
> Virtual Lyndale Neighborhood Association Meeting- March 1, 7:30 p.m.
 

2020

> Virtual Hamline-Midway Transportation Committee Meeting- May 4, 6:30 p.m.
> Virtual Bike, Walk, Roll Event, St. Thomas University - April 23, noon
> Midtown Business Association - Feb. 19, noon
> Phillips West Neighborhood Meeting - Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
> St. Paul College Student Senate - Feb. 12, noon
> Community Connections Conference - Feb. 1, 9 a.m.
> St. Paul Public School Choice Fair - Jan. 25, 9:30 a.m.
> Longfellow Community Council - Jan. 7, 7:55 p.m.
 
 
2019
> South Uptown Holiday Gathering - Dec. 17, 5 p.m.
> Union Park District Council/ St. Thomas University Meeting - Dec. 9, 6:30 p.m.
> Horn Tower Residents Council - Nov. 12, 3 p.m.
> Metropolitan Council Transportation Committee - Oct. 28, 4 p.m.
> Longfellow Community Council Annual Meeting - Oct. 22, 5 p.m.
> East Calhoun Community Organization Annual Meeting - Oct. 3, 7 p.m.
> Longfellow Community Council - Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m.
> MPS Welcome Back Traditional Powwow (South High School) - Sept. 27, 4 p.m.
> MNUFC Match Pop-Up - Sept. 25, 3 p.m.
> Midway Pop-Up: Walmart - Sept. 15, 10 a.m.
> Union Park Ice Cream Peanut Butter and Jam - Sept. 14, Noon
> Selby Avenue Jazz Festival - Sept. 14, 8 a.m.
> Selby Ave Office Hours (Boyd Park) - Sept. 4, 3:30 p.m.
> Midway Pop-Up: Target - Aug. 29, 3:30 p.m.
> 35W@94 Lake Street Station Tour - Aug. 28, 6 p.m.
> St. Paul College Bus Stop Pop-Up - Aug. 28, 8 a.m.
> Selby Ave and Dale Street Bus Stop Pop-Up - Aug. 27, 3 p.m.
> East Isles Farmers Market - Aug. 15, 4: p.m.
> Selby Ave Office Hours (Golden Thyme Cafe) - Aug.14, 9 a.m.
> Open Streets- Lake and Hiawatha - July 21, 10 a.m.
> Somali Independence Day - June 29, Noon
> Sips and Scoops (La Michoacana) - June 27, 6 p.m.
> St. Paul Jazz Festival - June 22, 2 p.m.
> LynFest - June 22, noon
> Community Peace Celebration - June 21, 2 p.m.
> South Uptown Neighborhood Meeting - June 18, 7:30 p.m.
> Sierra Club - June 6, 6 p.m.
> Open Streets: Lyndale - June 2, 10 a.m.
> May Day Festival: May 5, 10 a.m.
> B Line May 2019 Open Houses: (Materials in English) (Materials in Spanish)
May 1, South High School, 4 p.m.
May 2, Merriam Park Library, 4:30 p.m.
May 4, Oxford Community Center 11 a.m.
May 22, Walker Library 4 p.m.
 

Past Studies

Arterial Transitway Corridors Study (2012)

In 2011-2012, Metro Transit studied 11 urban corridors with high-ridership bus routes that connect major destinations for implementation of enhanced bus service. The Lake Street corridor ranked highly in this evaluation and was recommended for further study.

Midtown Corridor Alternatives Analysis (2014)

The Midtown Corridor Alternatives Analysis evaluated the benefits, costs, and impacts of implementing a rail or bus transitway in the Midtown Corridor. The study was initiated to identify a transit alternative that best meets the transportation needs of the local community in terms of technical feasibility, costs, and benefits. The analysis showed that corridor demand is sufficient to support both rail in the Midtown Greenway and enhanced bus on Lake Street. At the conclusion of the analysis, the project’s Policy Advisory Committee unanimously recommended a locally preferred alternative that includes both rail in the Midtown Greenway and enhanced bus on Lake Street (being advanced now as the B Line project).

Project Collaboration

METRO Green Line Extension: West Lake Street Station

The West Lake Street Station will be the western terminus of the B Line and will be built in coordination with the Southwest LRT project. The B Line station will be built on the West Lake Street bridge and will have access to the LRT station via stairs and elevator. 

Rendering of Lake Street and I35W Station from ground levelMETRO Orange Line: Nicollet Avenue, I-35W, 4th/5th Avenue Stations

The I-35W and Lake Street Station will provide a connection to the METRO Orange Line and the broader 35W@94:Downtown to Crosstown project includes a redesign of the freeway between I-94 and 42nd Street. The project is being led by MnDOT in partnership with Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit. 

B Line stations at Nicollet Avenue and 4th/5th Avenue will also be constructed as part of the reconstruction of Lake Street adjacent to I-35W.

Hi-Lake Interchange Study

The Hi-Lake Interchange Study is being led by the City of Minneapolis. The purpose of this project is to develop potential solutions to improve the pedestrian and bicycle environment of the Hi-Lake interchange while maintaining vehicle operations on Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue. The study is being led by the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County, in partnership with Metro Transit and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. 

An eastbound enhanced bus stop at Lake and Hiawatha was built in conjunction with the construction of the South Minneapolis Regional Service Center in 2017, and will be used by the future B Line. The westbound station location will be  implemented in coordination with this project.