Maplewood vote puts Purple Line BRT project at risk

The fate of the $445 million Purple Line bus rapid transit project in the east metro is unclear after the Maplewood City Council reversed its earlier support of the line on Monday.

Studied for more than three decades, the Purple Line was slated to link Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to Maplewood beginning in 2029, using dedicated lanes for buses along much of the route.

But at a workshop meeting earlier this month, the Maplewood City Council voted on a measure directing staff to prepare resolutions rescinding previous support of the line in favor of “dynamic, flexible” modes of public transportation, such as door-to-door micro-transit buses and autonomous vehicles.

On Monday, the majority of the council said the cost to build the Purple Line is too expensive and construction would disrupt businesses along White Bear Avenue, part of a possible new route being studied by the Metropolitan Council. The regional planning body would design, build and operate the line.

The City Council also questioned whether post-pandemic ridership on the line would justify the cost, and if electric buses would be used, as promised.

On Monday, the council voted 3-2 to formally rescind its support. The council chambers, overflowing into the lobby of City Hall, erupted in applause following the vote.

“This is about common sense; we need to come up with alternatives,” Mayor Marylee Abrams said. “It’s not the end of transit. It’s the end of the Purple Line.”

But Council Members Chonburi Lee and Nikki Villavicencio argued that the Purple Line would meet Maplewood’s future public transit needs and help stem climate change.

Villavicencio said she felt “blindsided” following the Sept. 9 workshop session when the action was broached. “I expected to have a genuine conversation about this,” she said at the meeting.

Lee said the action was premature, since Metro Transit was expected to release its route recommendation next month. “After 20 years, the pieces are finally coming together,” he said.

Officials from the Met Council on Tuesday did not specifically say what lies ahead for the project. Instead, they released a statement indicating the Met Council remains committed to the Purple Line “as a critical investment in our region’s transportation future.”

“We will continue our work with our east metro partners to ensure every corner of our region is served by frequent, safe and convenient transit services,” the statement said.

The Met Council released a memo prior to Monday’s meeting saying the City Council’s directive “incorrectly characterized aspects and potential impacts of the Purple Line project.”

Ramsey County and St. Paul have said they remain committed to the project. Unlike light rail projects, state law doesn’t require proposed bus rapid transit lines to gain support from cities and counties along the route.

Several state lawmakers, nonprofit organizations, Century College, HealthPartners and other medical practices wrote letters of support for the Purple Line. On the flip side, a petition circulating among Maplewood residents opposes the line.

Formerly known as the Rush Line, the Purple Line was originally slated to stretch to Hinckley through Rush City, north of St. Paul. Over the years, the route was pared back, and ultimately White Bear Lake was tagged as the northern endpoint.

But in 2022, White Bear Lake adopted a resolution opposing it, prompting the Met Council to regroup, studying Maplewood as the line’s terminus.

As opposition grew against the line using the popular Bruce Vento Regional Trail for part of the route, the council then began studying using busy White Bear Avenue as a possible thoroughfare. A key committee for the line was expected to announce a preferred route this fall.

At a Ramsey County Regional Rail Authority meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt said the Met Council “has all the cards” regarding the Purple Line. Planners could revamp the project or abandon it altogether, she said.

A longtime supporter of the line, Reinhardt noted the Maplewood City Council made a decision with little information since only 1% of the project’s design has been completed.

“That really is alarming,” she said. “It’s disappointing that they withdrew without having all the information.”