Route Modification Report

Route recommendation

The Blue Line Extension will run from downtown Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park, connecting some of our region’s most diverse communities to jobs, education, and opportunities. In Minneapolis, where two route options were evaluated, the West Broadway route is recommended.

The following full route, described from north to south, meets the project’s principles and stated goals and 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 beteween West Broadway Avenue and Target Field Station in Downtown Minneapolis will be evaluated in the next phase of the project.

This route will:

• Connect people to new opportunities and destinations.
• Link people more efficiently to educational and employment opportunities, reduce transit commute times, and increase access to goods and services in an area where building community wealth is a priority.
• Improve public health and reduce pollution by connecting people to quality health care and providing clean active transportation options.
• Make a generational and unprecedented transit investment in a corridor that has experienced a history of systemic racism and high percentage of zero-car households.

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)

Evaluation process

To determine a community-supported route, the project team considered Project Principles and goals, community and business feedback, and engineering requirements. Each route was evaluated against the project goals to see how it serves community needs.

All the routes have received an overall assessment of “good” in their ability to serve the community. In some cases these routes achieve an excellent rating based on unique features and the potential to deliver exemplary positive benefits. None of the routes have been assessed as “poor,” which would mean they did not meet the project goals.

Assessment of route options to defined goals

Next steps

Further robust community engagement will continue through these and future phases. Comments will be accepted through May 18, 2022. The Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County will carefully review the community input received to make any additional modifications before the recommended community‑supported route moves forward for further evaluation in 2022.