Rush Line taking on purple hue
July 22, 2021
ST. PAUL — The county’s Rush Line Policy Advisory Committee met for possibly the last time July 15, capping years of meetings as representative stakeholders in the mass-transit project. Management of the almost half-billion-dollar bus rapid transit (BRT) project is in the process of transitioning to the Metropolitan Council now that the environmental analysis phase is almost done.
The next step is project development under Met Council guidance. The project will also be rebranded as the Metro Purple Line.
According to Met Council Rush Line BRT Project Director, Craig Lamothe, the process mirrors the 2017 Metro Gold Line BRT, as well as past rail projects. New advisory committees will be formed in 2022, he said, and a new consulting team hired. The county will still be involved with lingering responsibilities over the next several months that include completion of the environmental analysis (EA) phase; completion of the MnDOT and municipal approval process for highway improvements; and making a funding commitment for the project development phase. "That is a key component," he said.