Northeast Metro Business 01_VHEDC_20_DE | Page 58

FUTURE OF THE EAST METRO TRANSIT Downtown White Bear Lake WHITE BEAR LAKE Marina Triangle 35E Cedar Avenue GEM LAKE T he Rush Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project is a future 15-mile transit route with 21 stops between Union Depot in Lowertown Saint Paul and downtown White Bear Lake, as shown to the right. Rush Line BRT construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 and operations are expected to begin in 2026. Rush Line BRT will arrive every ten minutes during rush hours and every 15 minutes other times, operate primarily in dedicated bus lanes, and have stations with amenities like shelter, light and heat. Rush Line BRT will connect people with more than 106,000 jobs within a ten-minute walk of the 21 planned stations and with education, healthcare and recreation destinations. Stations at Buerkle Road and at the intersection of County Road E and Highway 61 will serve the Vadnais Heights area. An example station from Orange Line BRT is shown above. The County Road E station will also include a park-and-ride at the Vadnais Sports Center. This park-and-ride will be designated for transit users during weekday business hours, and all spaces will be available for use by business patrons and Vadnais Sports Center visitors in the evening and on weekends. Additional improvements to pedestrian safety will be made to reduce the distance for pedestrians to cross both County Road E and Highway 61 and 58 Northeast Metro Business County Road E Metro Orange Line BRT I-35W & Burnsville Parkway Station encourage drivers to slow down when making right turns by removing right-turn islands. VADNAIS HEIGHTS Buerkle Road 694 At the Buerkle Road station, a new signalized intersection and sidewalk improvements along Buerkle Road will be added. St. John’s Boulevard Maplewood Mall 35E Next steps for the project include preparing an Environmental Assessment, which will be available for public comment in late 2020. Vadnais Heights City Council Member Craig Johnson and Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Liz Moscatelli represent Vadnais Heights on the Policy Advisory Committee 35E for the Rush Line BRT Project. Visit Cayuga www.rushline. Street org for more information. Mt. Airy Regions/ Green Line 5th/6th Street Highway 36 36 MAPLEWOOD 36 Frost Avenue Larpenteur Avenue Maryland Avenue Arcade Street Payne Avenue Olive Street 94 10th Street Union Depot SAINT PAUL Cook Avenue