Plans for the proposed METRO Purple Line, a new Bus Rapid Transit line in Ramsey County, are getting another look.
Project staff is looking at ending the now 15-mile line somewhere along County Road E, between Highway 61 and Interstate 35E in Vadnais Heights or at the Maplewood Mall Transit Center.
Both options would include offering connecting bus service between the Maplewood Mall Transit Center and downtown White Bear Lake. Keeping the route as planned, with the northern end in downtown White Bear Lake, is also being evaluated.
The suggested modifications respond to a White Bear Lake City Council resolution that requests the Purple Line not enter the city of White Bear Lake.
The options were discussed at the Purple Line’s Corridor Management Committee (CMC) on April 29. The committee includes elected and appointed officials from project partner agencies, and was formed to advise the Metropolitan Council and Ramsey County on the Purple Line's design and construction.
At the meeting, committee members expressed support for the effort to consider alternative routes. The public will be invited to share feedback this summer.
The current timeline calls for Purple Line construction to begin in 2024.