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57-511: Highway 51 is also known as Snelling Avenue for most of its route. A small section of the route is known as Montreal Avenue in the "West Seventh" and Highland neighborhoods of Saint Paul, and the northern section in Arden Hills is known as Hamline Avenue . It provides a route for vehicle traffic, as well as the Metro A Line , a Bus rapid transit link operated by Metro . Snelling Avenue

114-631: A 2012 estimate of $ 25 million. Metro Transit began testing operating A Line buses along the corridor by February 2016 before the planned June opening. The line officially opened June 11, 2016. Ramsey County and the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce requested the Metropolitan Council study an extension of the A Line before construction of the A Line had begun. The Council agreed to study the extension in November 2013. The extension studied had

171-529: A 2030 Transit Master Study for the region in 2008 which identified arterial bus network corridors and encouraged further study of arterial bus rapid transit projects. The council set the goal of doubling transit ridership by 2030 in their 2030 Transportation Policy Plan and identified implementing arterial bus rapid transit as a method of increasing ridership. Metro Transit began study of 11 corridors for their potential for arterial bus rapid transit in 2011–2012. Those 11 routes served 90,000 riders per weekday, which

228-595: A cloverleaf interchange with Minnesota State Highway 36 (MN 36). The I-694/MN 36 interchange makes out a rough corner, in which I-694 switches direction from eastbound to southbound. I-694 continues south through the city of Oakdale and finally terminates on the clockwise end at the interchange of I-94, I-494, and I-694 at the Oakdale–Woodbury city boundary line. I-694 becomes I-494 after this interchange. Mileposts on I-694 are numbered to increase while traveling eastbound (clockwise). They are in sequence with

285-485: A normal bus. Buses used on the A Line have more standing room than other Metro Transit buses, stainless steel seat frames, and provide free on-board Wi-Fi . Buses have a unique exterior paint scheme from other Metro Transit vehicles, rounded exterior molding edges, and brighter digital displays. The internal digital displays are able to show real-time service information on connecting routes, announcements, and what stops are upcoming. Initially 12 buses were purchased for

342-677: A northern terminus of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant redevelopment in Arden Hills which is also known as the Rice Creek Commons. The extension would add 10 additional stops and would connect the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and Bethel University , as well as major employers, including Land O'Lakes, Inc. and Boston Scientific , to the broader public transportation system. In

399-630: A shuttle bus began to run from Snelling and Como Avenues, north past Larpenteur Avenue to Roselawn Avenue in Roseville. The bus service was extended and connected with the replacement bus service along Snelling Avenue that was instituted in 1952 when streetcars no longer ran the route. At its peak, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company ran 10-minute peak, and 15-minute offpeak service on the corridor. The Snelling Streetcar Shops and then later Snelling Bus Garage, both located at

456-437: A streetcar along Snelling. The City of Saint Paul along with consultants conducted a $ 250,000 study of creating streetcar network for the city in 2012–2014. Snelling Avenue as a corridor by itself was one of the five best transit corridors for streetcars, partially due to the transit supportive land use. Pairing a Snelling Avenue streetcar with a route along Ford Parkway was also suggested as a possibility. A streetcar line along

513-572: Is also served by Snelling Avenue station on the Metro Green Line . State Highway 51 serves as a north–south route between Saint Paul, Falcon Heights, Roseville, and Arden Hills in Ramsey County . It is not to be confused with nearby Ramsey County Road 51 (Lexington Avenue / Parkway), which runs parallel to State Highway 51 for much of its route. Highway 51 begins at its intersection with State Highway 5 (W. 7th Street) in

570-505: Is also shared with the westbound interchange for U.S. Highway 10 . From south to north, the route adjoins the campuses of Macalester College , Hamline University , University of Northwestern - Saint Paul , and Bethel University . Como Park, Zoo, and Conservatory in Saint Paul is located 7 blocks east of the junction of Highway 51 (Snelling Avenue) and Como Avenue. Eastbound Como Avenue becomes Horton Avenue. The park entrance

627-598: Is at its junction with I-94 and I-494 at the Woodbury – Oakdale city line. I-694 comprises the northern and northeastern portions of a beltway around the Twin Cities, with I-494 forming the remainder of the beltway. The speed limit is 60 mph (97 km/h). Interstate Highways outside of the loop in Minnesota may be signed as high as 70 mph (110 km/h) but can only reach 60 mph (97 km/h) inside

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684-520: Is on Horton Avenue near Lexington Parkway. Rosedale Center and Har Mar Mall shopping centers are located on the route in Roseville. Highway 51 parallels State Highway 280 through Falcon Heights and the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul. State Highway 51 was authorized in 1933. The route was paved by 1935. The original alignment on the south end of Highway 51 was from West 7th Street up Edgecumbe Road to Snelling Avenue. This section of Highway 51

741-875: Is six to eight minutes faster than existing buses on Snelling Avenue. Transit signal priority is installed at 19 of the 34 traffic signals on the line, which has improved reliability on the line. The corridor lacks bus lanes which are typical for many bus rapid transit lines. Metro Transit did not consider bus lanes in their project proposal to be reasonable and maintains that dedicated bus lanes would not have sped up travel times significantly due to most speed improvement being linked to other A Line design features that minimized red light and passenger delay. By January 2018, A Line buses had improved their on-time performance to 94% compared to prior to opening when buses had 90.7% on-time performance and spent around 24% of their time waiting at traffic signals. Stations are spaced at roughly .5-mile (0.80 km) intervals which helps limit

798-872: The Blue Line in Minneapolis, the line travels past Minnehaha Park , through the Highland Village commercial area, past Macalester College , and connects to the Green Line near Allianz Field . The line continues through Saint Paul, past Hamline University , before traveling through Falcon Heights and Roseville, where the line passes the Minnesota State Fairgrounds , Har Mar Mall , and terminates at Rosedale Center . While lacking dedicated bus lanes typically associated with bus rapid transit, there are many features that improve

855-520: The I-694 Bridge . The route then passes through the communities of Fridley and New Brighton , where it has an interchange with I-35W. I-694 turns slightly to the southeast as it passes through the communities of Arden Hills , Shoreview , and Little Canada . I-694 turns back to near due east at its western junction with I-35E . It continues east through the communities of Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, and Maplewood. In Pine Springs , I-694 has

912-635: The Interstate Highway System , has been included in the National Highway System , a system of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. The original beltway around the Twin Cities was MN 100 . The portion of I-694 running east from the current MN 100 in Brooklyn Center through New Brighton and MN 100 was part of that original beltway. There was a two-lane bridge across

969-657: The Metro Blue Line . At the station are connections to four Metro Transit routes and two Minnesota Valley Transit Authority routes. A Line buses travel east along 46th St, cross Minnesota State Highway 55 , also known as Hiawatha Avenue, before passing near Minnehaha Park . East 46th St becomes Ford Parkway and crosses the Mississippi River on the Intercity Bridge which is just north of the Mississippi River's Lock and Dam No. 1 . The line enters

1026-548: The Roseville / Arden Hills boundary line. The northern terminus of the route was at old U.S. Highway 10 , which is the present day junction of Snelling Avenue and County Road E in Arden Hills. There was a plan until the 1970s to extend Highway 51 beyond its current northern terminus at I-694 in Arden Hills to proceed north to I-35W near Lexington Avenue in Blaine . The section of Highway 51 in Roseville and Arden Hills

1083-485: The "West Seventh" neighborhood of Saint Paul . 51 follows Montreal Avenue for 10 blocks. 51 then leaves Montreal Avenue and turns north on Snelling Avenue. Highway 51 remains on Snelling Avenue for the remainder of its route. It continues through the Highland Park / MacGroveland / Merriam Park areas to its junction with Interstate 94 / US Highway 52 . The route then passes Allianz Field and continues through

1140-555: The Fish Lake Interchange. From the Fish Lake Interchange, I-694 travels eastbound ( clockwise ) and concurrently with I-94 and US 52 through the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park , and Brooklyn Center. In Brooklyn Center, I-94/US 52 splits from I-694 and then I-94/US 52 travels south toward downtown Minneapolis , while I-694 continues its beltway function, crossing the Mississippi River on

1197-882: The Green Line at the Snelling Avenue station along University Avenue is available. The line continues north past Hamline University , the Minnesota State Fairgrounds , and the Como Park neighborhood of Saint Paul. The line enters Falcon Heights, Minnesota and passes Larpenteur Avenue before passing by the Har Mar Mall in Roseville, Minnesota . The line crosses Minnesota State Highway 36 before terminating at Rosedale Center where there are connections to eight Metro Transit bus routes. The A Line runs every 10 minutes during daytime service on weekdays and weekends, with reduced frequencies of up to 30 minutes in

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1254-493: The Metro Transit Police Department to monitor buses and check tickets on the A Line. Streetcars ran along Snelling Avenue from 1905 until 1952. The line was an important crosstown connection to many other streetcar lines. The Snelling streetcar line did not travel north of Larpenteur Avenue and instead traveled closer to Como Park along Como Ave, Pascal Ave, Arlington Ave, and Hamline Ave. In 1947

1311-623: The Midway neighborhood. After crossing over two railroad lines and entering Falcon Heights , the route passes along the east side of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds , making it a busy thoroughfare during the State Fair season. The route continues north into Roseville and Arden Hills . Most of Highway 51's length through Roseville and Arden Hills is an expressway ( divided highway ) with signalized intersections. Highway 51 does have an interchange with State Highway 36 in Roseville. The northern terminus of Highway 51 at I-694 in Arden Hills

1368-490: The Mississippi river where the current I-694 bridge is today. That bridge was constructed as part of a defense initiative authorized in 1942 at the beginning of US involvement World War II . The construction of I-694 to Interstate standards was authorized in 1956. The first section of I-694 completed was between US 10 at Arden Hills to I-35E at Little Canada in the early 1960s. The last section of I-694 completed

1425-537: The University of Minnesota, before finishing in downtown Minneapolis. Service was only offered during peak periods at 15–30 minutes frequencies. As part of the Green Line opening in 2014, service for the Route 84 increased to 10-minutes 7 days a week and two branches were combined into one branch. Service to 46th St Station was only every 30-minutes but the A Line was in planning stages to provide 10-minute service along

1482-461: The Weave construction project, completed between 2004 and 2008, disentangled I-694 and I-35E at Little Canada–Vadnais Heights. The project was designed around several factors, a few of which included increasing freeway traffic capacity, increasing driver safety, and eliminating weaving and lane changes (eliminating "geometric deficiencies"), hence the name of the project, "Unweave the Weave". This weaving

1539-590: The boarding process and reducing bus dwell time. Each station has a pylon marker that provides real-time bus arrival information and station identification. Illuminated signage at the top of the station blinks when a bus arriving. Curbs at stations have tactile warning strips and are raised 9 in (23 cm) from the road surface, facilitating near-level boarding to speed up and make boarding easier. To increase travel speed and reduce delay related to pulling in and out of traffic while stopping, stations are located far-side of intersections and curbs are extended out to

1596-713: The city of Saint Paul on the bridge, and then passes by the former Twin Cities Assembly Plant which in 2020 was being redeveloped into housing and commercial properties. Ford Parkway continues through the Highland Village commercial node in Highland Park, Saint Paul where there are connections to seven Metro Transit bus routes, until reaching Snelling Avenue  next to the Highland Park Tower . After turning north on Snelling,

1653-409: The corridor with a goal opening of 2014. Route 144 was eliminated because it only served 144 rides a day and alternative service was available as a transfer between Route 84 and the Green Line. Travel time was only planned to increase by 6 minutes to the U of M and by 2 minutes to downtown Minneapolis. The Metropolitan Council , the metropolitan planning organization for the Twin Cities, completed

1710-441: The corridor, which combines the A Line and Route 84, rose from 3,800 weekday rides to 5,100 weekday rides over the same time period in the first month after opening. In the overall first year of operation, ridership in the corridor increased by 30%. The A Line served almost 1.7 million rides in 2019 which was a 3 percent increase from the year before. The A Line employs several bus rapid transit features that result in service that

1767-639: The corridor. The B Line is proposed to share stations with the A Line at Snelling and Dayton Avenues. Interstate 694 Interstate 694 ( I-694 ) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the US state of Minnesota . The western terminus of the route is at its junction with I-94 , I-494 , and US Highway 52 (US 52) in Maple Grove . The eastern terminus of I-694

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1824-579: The early morning and late evening. Route 84, which previously served the Snelling Avenue corridor, was retained with 30-minute service to provide connections from the corridor to other areas. When the Green Line opened in 2014, just the Snelling Avenue portion of the route had 10-minute service. After the opening of the A Line, the entire corridor had 10-minute service which was part of an increase of 63,300 to 80,900 annual service hours. Estimated annual operating costs are $ 4.2 million. Ridership in

1881-482: The final report issued in September 2016, Metro Transit concluded that there was no funding available and ridership did not support an immediate extension. The study encouraged the development of transit supportive land use and development patterns. The comprehensive plans for the cities of Roseville and Arden Hills both contain sections on an A Line extension and the need to keep BRT in mind when developing land within

1938-482: The first project, the corridor was named the A Line. The current route of the A Line was approved in 2014 by the Metropolitan Council as the region's first arterial bus rapid transit project. By then an opening date was aimed for late 2015 and further study of a northern extension was still ongoing. Neighborhood plans for the neighborhoods along the corridor encouraged transit accessibility improvements and other changes to support transit along Snelling Avenue. Funding for

1995-560: The first two candidates for implementation. Snelling Avenue showed promise for its connection to the Green and Blue lines. While no funding sources were identified, planners hoped to open the line in time for the Green Line opening in 2014. The project was originally named the Snelling Avenue Bus Rapid Transitway until 2013 when the region's arterial bus rapid transit projects were branded with letters. As

2052-607: The intersection of Snelling and University Avenues, served many transit routes in the area including service along Snelling Avenue. Portions of the Snelling Streetcar Shops were turned into a shopping center and the Snelling Bus Barn was torn down in 2001. Allianz Field was later constructed on portions of the former bus barn. Return of streetcars to the corridor has been studied. In 2001, a neighborhood plan for Macalester Groveland encouraged study of

2109-512: The length of Snelling Avenue was not proposed on the long-term network but a portion of Snelling between Hamline University to Selby Avenue was selected as a potential corridor. A Snelling + Ford Parkway streetcar corridor from 46th Street Station to the Green Line and a Snelling North corridor from the Green Line to Como Park scored lower on the study's screening criteria due to lower ridership, less transit supportive land use, and limited potential to redevelop properties. The Snelling + Selby Corridor

2166-487: The line with 3 being new buses and 9 being replacement buses from an existing contract with Gillig . An additional bus was purchased a month after the line opened to improve maintenance and reliability operations. The passenger experience and legibility of the line helped it be described as "probably the best bus route in the US" by one transit expert. Riders are more satisfied with the A Line's service than regular route local bus service. Six police officers were added to

2223-440: The loop. I-694 also interchanges with I-35W at New Brighton – Arden Hills and I-35E at Little Canada – Vadnais Heights . I-694 is also concurrent with I-94/US 52 for eight miles (13 km) from Maple Grove to Brooklyn Center . I-694 is 30.8 miles (49.6 km) in length. I-694 begins on the counterclockwise end at the junction of I-94, I-494, US 52, and I-694 in the city of Maple Grove, often referred to as

2280-576: The numbering of adjoining I-494, where the numbering begins and ends at the Minnesota River . Between Maple Grove and Brooklyn Center, the mileposts correspond to the beltway numbering, not I-94 mileage. Legally, the route of I-694 is defined as part of unmarked legislative route  393 in the Minnesota Statutes §161.12(5) . I-694 is not marked with this legislative number along the actual highway. The entire freeway, as part of

2337-477: The other features of the line, improved travel times in the corridor by 25%. Transit has operated in the corridor since 1905 when streetcars began operating until they were replaced by buses in 1952. In the mid-2000s the Met Council began making plans for upgraded urban core local bus routes, which it called arterial bus rapid transit. A study completed in 2012 found the A Line corridor to be the best suited in

Minnesota State Highway 51 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-612: The passes Macalester College in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood before crossing Grand Avenue and Summit Avenue . While traveling through the Merriam Park neighborhood of Saint Paul the line passes a future connection to the Metro B Line near Selby Avenue . After crossing Interstate 94 , the line passes Allianz Field and the Midway shopping area in the Hamline Midway neighborhood. A connection to

2451-538: The project came from a variety of sources including $ 14.6 million of the costs from CMAQ , Metropolitan Council, and MnDOT Trunkhighway Bonds, as Snelling Avenue also serves as State Highway 51. Other funding came from the state legislature. After design reviews postponed the approval of a contract for station construction until June 2015, the opening date was pushed from late 2015 to 2016. Construction bids were 45% higher than estimated due to delayed bidding and unique project design. Final costs were $ 27 million compared to

2508-403: The region for the first project and after delays and construction setbacks, the line opened in 2016 at a cost of $ 27 million. Ridership in the corridor has increased roughly 33% since opening. In 2018 the A Line carried an average of 4,860 passengers per weekday, and by 2030, the A Line is expected to carry 8,000 passengers per day. The A Line's southern terminus is at the 46th Street station of

2565-549: The requirement to change lanes through the area. The section was rebuilt in concrete instead of asphalt and noise walls were added. Another construction project, the I-35W/US 10/I-694 North Central Corridor Reconstruction Project, also designed to reduce unnecessary traffic crossovers on the highway, began in September 2011. This project eliminated the weaving movements of I-694 at its interchange with US 10 and MN 51 in Arden Hills. This interchange often created one of

2622-406: The size chosen depends on daily boardings and site context. Stations have lighted canopies, on-demand heating, security cameras and emergency telephones, benches, and bike parking. Pavement in boarding areas are treated with a darker shade of concrete to delineate them from the sidewalk. Ticket vending machines and Go-To card readers are located on platforms for off-board fare collection, speeding up

2679-423: The speed and reliability of the line. Specially designed buses stop only at stations spaced roughly .5 miles (0.80 km) apart. Buses have wider doors and allow entry at all doors because fares are collected in advance at machines located at stations. Station shelters also have light, heat, and real-time arrival signs. Many intersections along the line have transit signal preemption, which in combination with all of

2736-514: The time spent on accelerating and stopping the bus. Previous buses in the corridor stopped at up to 80 stops, while the A Line travels further between stops and has only 20 stations located at high-traffic areas. Stations on the A Line have enhanced features to differentiate them from local bus stops. Station shelters follow a "kit-of-parts" design so they can be easily identified and used throughout Metro 's bus rapid transit system. There are three different station sizes–small, medium, and large–and

2793-426: The travel lane where buses stop to board passengers. Buses on the A Line have wider rear doors which in combination with all-door boarding, allows for reduced dwell time when passengers are boarding or alighting. There is no fare collection equipment on board due to off-board fare payment machines located at stations. 12 new buses were purchased for the line at a cost of $ 500,000 each, which is roughly 10% greater than

2850-529: The two interstates to improve the infrastructure of the highway from an asphalt surface to a complete concrete surface. Numerous bridges were rebuilt, including the residential streets of Edgerton Street and Labore Road in Vadnais Heights . The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) updated the overlapped section between I-694 and I-35E to increase the number of lanes from six (three in each direction) to 12 (six in each direction) and eliminated

2907-521: The worst bottlenecks in the Twin Cities because drivers need to change at least one lane to continue either direction on I-694 between MN 51 (Snelling Avenue) and US 10. When the construction project was completed, the roadway of I-694 included two through lanes in each direction from I-35W at New Brighton to US 10 at Arden Hills, three through lanes in each direction from US 10 in Arden Hills to Rice Street at Shoreview–Little Canada, and five through lanes in each direction from Rice Street to

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2964-524: Was between I-35E at Little Canada to its junction with I-94 and I-494 at Oakdale – Woodbury , completed by the early 1970s. I-694 was built as the main thoroughfare for the northern suburbs of Minneapolis–Saint Paul . These include the cities of Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, New Brighton , Arden Hills, Shoreview , Little Canada , Vadnais Heights , White Bear Lake , Maplewood , Pine Springs, and Oakdale. The original design of I-694 had problems with "weave" interchanges. The Unweave

3021-467: Was built as a divided highway by 1970. The entire route is in Ramsey County . Metro A Line (Minnesota) The Metro A Line is a bus rapid transit line in the Twin Cities , Minnesota operated by Metro Transit . The A Line operates primarily along the Snelling Avenue corridor and travels through the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Falcon Heights, and Roseville. From

3078-413: Was close to half of the total ridership for urban routes. Ridership on implemented routes was predicted to increase 20 to 30 percent after the first year of opening. Corridors were evaluated on capital and operating costs, potential ridership, and travel time savings. At the time, an opening for the first BRT line was hoped to open in 2014. By 2012 Snelling Avenue and West Seventh Street were identified as

3135-504: Was later rerouted to Montreal Avenue. From 1934 to 1935, the north end of Highway 51 previously followed Snelling Avenue northbound to County Road B in Roseville , then 51 turned westbound to Fairview Avenue and ran northbound along Fairview Avenue and New Brighton Road to old U.S. Highway 8 in New Brighton . By 1935, Snelling Avenue was extended north to the point where Highway 51 now bends to follow Hamline Avenue after crossing

3192-436: Was not selected as an initial starter line. Bus service along the corridor in 2010 was provided by Routes 84 and 144. Route 84 ran 15-minute weekday and Saturday service from Rosedale Center before diverging into several branches close to Ford Parkway. Service was only every 30-minutes on Sundays. Route 144 ran along Snelling Avenue from around Ford Parkway until it reached Interstate 94 where it traveled west, exited and served

3249-426: Was the case for most drivers prior to 2005, before most of the road reconstruction work on the interchanges was done. As a result of lane changing and constant congestion, many accidents occurred on the interchange after its completion in the early 1970s. The current layout of the two Interstates now provides for safer exits and entrances, minimal congestion, and better road surface durability. The project also realigned

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