Metro Red Line (Minnesota)

METRO Red Line
Overview
System	METRO
Operator	Minnesota Valley Transit Authority
Status	Operational
Began service	June 22, 2013
Route
Locale	(Hennepin County) Bloomington, Minnesota (Dakota County) Eagan, Minnesota Burnsville, Minnesota Apple Valley, Minnesota Rosemount, Minnesota Farmington, Minnesota Lakeville, Minnesota
Stations	5 (7 planned)
Route map Legend Mall of America METRO Blue Line Minnesota River Cedar Grove Diffley Road and Nicols Road Cliff Road (later date) Palomino Hills (later date) 140th Street 147th Street Apple Valley 161st Street (later date) Glacier Way (later date) Lakeville Cedar (later date) 195th Street (later date) 215th Street (later date) ← {{{previous_line}}} {{{next_line}}} →

The METRO Red Line, previously known as the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway, is a bus line between the Twin Cities suburbs of Bloomington, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota. The Red Line was built with bus rapid transit elements including dedicated bus lanes along the sides of Minnesota State Highway 77/County Road 23, as well as distinct stations. The line is planned to be extended to the suburb of Lakeville, Minnesota, eventually running from Mall of America in Bloomington, the southern terminus of the Blue Line light-rail service, to 215th Street in Lakeville.

After a few construction schedule setbacks, the line officially began operation on June 22, 2013.

Background

Corridor logo from 2007

The corridor has seen rapidly increasing traffic volumes over the past 20 years due to explosive growth in Dakota County. Traffic congestion is a commonplace along much of the corridor as far south as County Road 42. The Metropolitan Council, county and local officials promoted the transitway as a means to improve mobility in the corridor.

The Red Line runs from the Mall of America in Bloomington to the Apple Valley Transit Station (and will later serve 215th Street in Lakeville), serving some of the fastest growing areas in the Metropolitan Area and in the State of Minnesota. Traffic volumes on Cedar Avenue currently exceed 100,000 vehicles a day at the Minnesota River bridge every morning, with congestion sometimes extending as far south as County Road 42 in Apple Valley. The cities of Lakeville, Farmington, and Eagan are projected to double in population between the year 2000 and 2025, and the City of Apple Valley will gain half again its current population: 90,000 more residents in the Corridor. Red Line Bus Rapid Transit buses have more futuristic detail. Cedar Avenue was reconstructed with new bus shoulder lanes for easier travel between Downtown Minneapolis and Lakeville. The Transitway begins at Mall of America and heads towards Eagan, Apple Valley and Lakeville with bus shoulder lanes on both sides of Cedar Avenue, making it easier to bypass traffic. Stations were designed with bus pull offs to allow buses to pass other buses picking up and dropping off passengers.

Line color

In July 2011, the Metropolitan Council officially designated the Cedar Avenue BRT line as the Red Line. This is part of a broader scheme to designate Minneapolis-St. Paul transit lines by color. Corresponding lines within the system include the Blue Line, the Green Line and the proposed Orange Line BRT along Interstate 35W.

See also

• Bus Rapid Transit
• Minnesota Valley Transit Authority
• Metro Transit
• METRO Blue Line

External links

• Metro Red Line Official Homepage
• Official Red Line Dakota County Information Homepage
• Dakota County Resources Page for the Red Line, Corridor Map & Listed Documents
• Metropolitan Council webpage on the project