Route Modification Report

2022 route recommendation

The 2022 Route Modification Report was a accumulation of planning, engineering and community engagement efforts from August 2020 to June 2022 that identified the following full route, described from north to south, that was recommended to move forward by the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County on June 22, 2022:

• West Broadway Avenue from Oak Grove Parkway to 73rd Avenue in Brooklyn Park. Includes stations at Oak Grove, 93rd Avenue, 85th Avenue, and Brooklyn Boulevard.
• Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81) between 73rd Avenue in Brooklyn Park to the intersection of County Road 81 and West Broadway Avenue. Includes stations at 63rd Avenue and Bass Lake Road in Crystal, and stations in the downtown and at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale.
• West Broadway Avenue from County Road 81 to Lyndale Avenue through North Minneapolis. This includes a design option along 21st Avenue North from Irving Avenue to Lyndale Avenue, one block to the north of West Broadway Avenue.
• Several possible connections between West Broadway Avenue and Target Field Station in Downtown Minneapolis will be evaluated in the next phase of the project.

Since June 2022, project staff began evaluating several route options between Target Field Station and West Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis in response to community feedback about running trains on Lyndale Avenue. This evaluation looked at two other options east of I-94, including:

• A route next to the east side of I-94 connecting to Washington Avenue (pink line on the map)
• A route that uses 10th Avenue to Washington Avenue (green line on the map). To fit light rail, the roadway would be reconfigured as a transit mall or a one-way northbound street.

Based on extensive community engagement and preliminary design and engineering, METRO Blue Line Extension staff recommended in August 2023 a single preferred route option in Minneapolis for continued study, which extends light rail from Target Field Station along a corridor that runs east of I-94. The line would run along 10th Avenue and Washington Avenue, and on 21st Avenue between I-94 and James Avenue, where it would join West Broadway Avenue.

Read the report

• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Executive Summary (PDF, 4 pages, 510 KB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Executive Summary - Spanish (PDF, 4 pages, 510 KB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report (PDF, 124 pages, 14 MB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Appendix A - Supplemental Data (PDF, 8 pages, 3 MB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Appendix B - Parking Utilization (PDF, 29 pages, 7 MB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Appendix C - Engagement Report (PDF, 90 pages, 4 MB)
• METRO Blue Line Extension Route Modification Report Addendum Reflecting April 18-May 27th Comment Period (PDF, 178 pages, 2 MB)