A majority of Maplewood city council members no longer support the Purple Line Bus Rapid Transit Project in their city.

Citing traffic concerns, impact on businesses and neighborhoods and expected rider numbers, Mayor Marylee Abrams at a Monday meeting requested staff provide a resolution withdrawing support from both the project’s Bruce Vento trail route and White Bear Avenue trail route as well as lay out plans to further discuss alternative transportation options with Metro Transit.

The project proposes a bus rapid transit line from downtown St. Paul into the northeastern suburbs. Maplewood wouldn’t be the first city to oppose the project as the White Bear Lake City Council in 2022 passed a resolution requesting that the line not enter their city.

Abrams said the project’s adjustments on White Bear Avenue would impact around 23,000 drivers who use it daily.

Other council members exported concerns

Council members Kathleen Juenemann and Rebecca Cave echoed many of Abrams’ concerns with the White Bear Avenue trail and also expressed interest in alternative transit options rather than the Purple Line.

The number of people using public transit since the pandemic has significantly changed, Abrams told the Pioneer Press.

“And I think just using common sense, an investment of $450 million (and) great disruption to our community, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Abrams said.

She added: “We were anchored to a 28-year-old plan that doesn’t fit our community. It doesn’t fit the way people go to work anymore, but there are other innovative ways, and we really can move people where they need to go, and we want to explore those.”

The withdrawal of support doesn’t mean the council is anti-transit, Juenemann said.

“Just because we’re saying, ‘No, we don’t want a Bruce Vento trail and no, it doesn’t make any sense on White Bear Avenue,’ doesn’t mean we want them to go away as far as how do we make transit better for the people in Maplewood,” Juenemann said.

Other transit options

Council members mentioned micro transit — involving smaller buses that provide individualized services, additional buses and autonomously-driven vehicles as possible alternative options to the Purple Line.

“We do not have maximum bus transportation at this point, and they need to work on that,” Juenemann said.

Council members Nikki Villavicencio and Chonburi Lee did not express support for the proposed resolutions.

A resolution — or resolutions — regarding the Purple Line project are expected to be presented to the city council at its next meeting on Sept. 23. They would need majority support from the five-member council. Abrams, Cave and Juenemann expressed were in support for the proposed resolution during the Monday meeting.

Terri Dresen, a Met Council spokeswoman, had the following statement Tuesday on Maplewood’s position on the Purple Line:

“The Purple Line is a strong transit project that would bring significant investments to the east metro, and we are committed to continued engagement with our local partners. We look forward to advancing a regional transit vision that will connect our communities and ensure future prosperity, and we remain steadfast in our vision and commitment to a future with more transportation options for everyone.”

Related Articles

Riverview Corridor rolls to a close with no streetcar, and no bus

Eastbound Minnesota Hwy. 36 in Roseville, Little Canada to close this weekend

Q&A: Why the revamped Our Streets wants to help you re-imagine your freeway

Westbound I-94 in St. Paul to close this weekend

New cars cost too much? Consumer Reports offers used model ‘top picks.’ Here’s the top 10