MN: Met Council approves West 7th, Nicollet Avenue bus rapid transit routes

The Metropolitan Council recently approved staff recommendations to move forward with two new bus rapid transit corridors, including the future J Line stretching along West Seventh Street from downtown St. Paul to the Mall of America in Bloomington, to be followed by the K Line along Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis to American Boulevard in Bloomington.

Council Member Deb Barber, who chairs the Met Council’s Transportation Committee, recommended the future J and K lines during the March 11 council meeting, to unanimous support.

Met Council Chair Robin Hutcheson thanked council staff and the council’s transportation committee for their “doggedness” and “continuing to advance such a great milestone” following years of analysis and vetting.

The two corridors were among 17 options considered by the Met Council a year ago, in the months after Ramsey County abandoned planning for the Riverview Corridor, a streetcar or BRT line that, such as  the J Line, would have connected downtown St. Paul to the MOA via West Seventh Street.

“I want to really commend our project team, especially when it comes to … pivot and include the West Seventh corridor into this plan,” Barber said. “It’s a very important line for the east metro. … We really are a nationwide leader in this space.”

Routes could launch between 2030-2035

Planning for the 12-mile J Line corridor will begin this year, followed by the K Line next year.

The routes could launch between 2030 and 2035, according to transit officials. The J Line would make a stop at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Unlike previous plans for the now-abandoned Riverview Corridor, the “arterial” BRT line on West Seventh Street will largely operate in mixed traffic rather than its own bus lane, allowing the corridor to largely preserve existing parking.

That said, in areas where buses are likely to face traffic congestion, opportunities for side-running bus lanes, bus-only shoulders, and “queue jumps” where buses would get preference at traffic lights will be explored, according to transit officials.

Eight BRT lines, four more on the way

The J Line is anticipated to receive federal funding through the Met Council’s Regional Solicitation program, and other funding sources for the transit improvements are being still determined. Different segments could benefit from city, county or state dollars.

For instance, on West Seventh Street, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning to make major roadway improvements beginning in 2029, and Metro Transit and Met Council officials hope to work with the city of St. Paul and Ramsey County to align J Line construction accordingly.

The J Line will replace Route 54, which draws about 3,300 customers along the West Seventh Street corridor each weekday. Given the experience of the A Line and other BRT routes that have replaced traditional bus service, there’s some hope that number will grow.

Metro Transit currently operates eight BRT routes, which have fewer stops than traditional bus services, offer modern amenities like heated and lit shelters with real-time displays, security features and pay-before-boarding ticket machines that allow riders to enter buses from the front or back for faster entry. Departure times for the two new lines have yet to be determined, but trips on existing BRT lines run as quickly as every 10 minutes.

Four additional routes are in various stages of planning as part of Metro Transit’s “Network Now” expansion plans. The strategy, which was released in 2024, calls for a 35% increase to Metro Transit transportation services through 2027.

By the end of 2026, the Met Council hopes to pin down the trajectory for the future L Line, which could follow one of three corridors along Franklin/Grand/East Third Street in Minneapolis, Johnson/Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis or Randolph/East Seventh Street in St. Paul.

In addition, the first phase of the G Line, on Rice and Robert streets in St. Paul, and an extension of the Gold Line will be completed in 2027.

The 17-member Met Council serves as the seven-county metro’s regional planning agency, overseeing Metro Transit and public transit planning, as well as other regional services and land use priorities, from wastewater treatment to affordable housing.

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Visit at twincities.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.