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
This route will:
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.
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.
Since August 2020, the project has held more than 300 events and connected directly with more than 11,000 people. As part of this outreach, the project contracted with 12 community and cultural organizations to increase feedback and representation from low-income and communities of color.
Major themes heard from outreach participants:
Learn more about our engagement efforts:
Highlighted on this map is the portion of the original alignment that cannot be constructed as previously planned.
Blue Line Extension Project Office Park Place West Building, Suite 500 6465 Wayzata Boulevard St. Louis Park, MN 55426