The new D Line—a rapid bus transit line that replaced old Route 5 in Minneapolis—has been operational for about a month, but it already seems to be helping commuters save time and money. As the Minnesota Reformer reports, addition of these rapid bus lines gets riders to their destinations 20 to 25% faster.
In our neck of the woods, there is a whole slate of new transportation projects on the horizon set to break ground in St. Paul, Ramsey County, and Washington County between 2023 to 2027. Receiving a major boost in federal dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, these projects will hopefully deliver similar results to commuters in the east metro.
Here’s a breakdown of just some of these projects:
- $7 million toward reconstruction of Rice Street, which will in convert Rice street to a three-lane road with a new bicycle and pedestrian path
- $5.23 million to reconstruct Minnehaha Avenue from Payne Avenue to East Seventh Street, including new on-road bike lanes
- $1.2 million to reconfigure non-signalized intersections along Payne Avenue to improve pedestrian safety
- $1 million towards Chelsea Heights Elementary School’s Safe Routes to School plan
- $5.5 million to boost the third wave of St. Paul’s Capital City Bikeway network
- $425,000 to expand the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota’s “Learn to Ride” program, which educated new bicycle riders in low-to moderate income neighborhoods of St. Paul
- $25 million toward future arterial bus rapid transit project.
These are just some of the many projecting coming down the pike. To see a full list of projects, you can check out this recent story in the Pioneer Press. You can also learn more about Community Action’s transportation programs by checking out our Car Ownership program and Car Repair Grant program.
