WHAT IS IT?
A 12-mile stretch being studied for public transit improvements between downtown St. Paul, the airport and the Mall of America.
NUMBER OF TRANSIT STUDIES CONDUCTED ON THE CORRIDOR:
5
TOTAL DOLLARS SPENT ON THE STUDIES:
About $4 million
WHAT DID THEY FIND?
Riverview Corridor Phase 1 Study, 1998
Conducted by: Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority
This feasibility study was tasked with identifying modes and routes in the corridor worthy of advancing to the next stage of analysis in 2000. Bus and light rail made the cut. West Seventh Street, the Canadian Pacific Rail line, Interstate 35-E and Shepard Road were identified as possible routes.
Major Investment Study, 2000
Conducted by: Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority
Study led officials to select a busway along West Seventh as the locally preferred alternative for the corridor. The transit system would have created a largely dedicated lane for a bus to carry riders between downtown St. Paul and the airport and Mall of America. It was projected to cost about $125 million. The project never got federal funding and was eventually rendered inactive.
Arterial Bus Rapid Transit Study, 2012
Conducted by: Metro Transit
Study examined ridership, demographics, job proximity, costs and slew of other factors in 11 corridors in the metro area to see which were best suited for bus rapid transit. Snelling Avenue and West Seventh ended up snagging the top two spots. The A-Line opened along Snelling this summer to the tune of about $27 million. That was to be followed shortly by the debut of the B-Line on West 7th in late 2016. Project was put on hold after Ramsey County indicated it wanted another study.
St. Paul Streetcar Feasibility Study, 2014
Conducted by: City of St. Paul
Study examined about 30 corridors across St. Paul to see which might be suited for streetcars. Study found line along East and West Seventh streets between Arcade Street and Randolph Avenue would best maximize ridership and development benefits.
Riverview Corridor Pre-Project Development Study, ongoing
Conducted by: Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority
The rail authority launched the latest study in July 2014. Three committees comprised of rail staff and a variety of stakeholders have been collecting and analyzing data on modes and routes. Options has been reduced to three routes — West Seventh, the Canadian Pacific Spur Line, or a combination of the two — and a handful of modes: light rail, bus rapid transit and streetcars running in mixed traffic or independent lanes. The 12-member Policy Advisory Committee is expected to select an option by spring 2017. The project would then need to be adopted by a slew of government bodies, go through environmental review and engineering phases and secure funding. A new major transit service could take up to 12 years to design and construct, officials said.