The U of M Transitway is a busway that runs between the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

campuses. Use of the roadway is limited to buses, bicycles, and emergency vehicles. The University of Minnesota runs

zero-fare Free public transport, often called fare-free public transit or zero-fare public transport, refers to public transport funded in full by means other than by collecting fares from passengers. It may be funded by national, regional or local gove ...

buses along the busway connecting the two campuses, primarily the Campus Connector but also shuttles to and from the St. Paul campus for football games. A bicycle trail runs alongside the transitway for most of its distance. Between the endpoints, there are only two intersections with stoplights controlling busway traffic at Energy Park Drive and Como Avenue. The stoplights are designed to normally give the buses priority, so it is possible for many buses to run the length of the transitway without stopping.

Initial plans

Plans for a park-and-ride between the Saint Paul and Minneapolis campuses were first introduced in 1976. The project was delayed due to St. Anthony Park neighborhood concerns, required land purchases, University budgets and federal transportation requirements. U.S. Representative

Martin Olav Sabo Martin Olav Sabo (February 28, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American politician who served as United States Representative for , which includes Minneapolis; the district is one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. Early life and e ...

pushed through $2.8 million for the transitway in the 1987 House appropriations bill. The final project was approved in 1990 and included three park and ride lots, two in Minneapolis and one in Saint Paul. The project added 2,400 parking spaces to the Minneapolis campus. The project cost $21 million with $1.2 million from MnDOT, $6.4 million from the University and $13.5 million in federal money from the Interstate Substitution Funds. The busway opened in 1992.

Current use

There were a large number of crashes in the early years of the transitway. It was determined that many intersections along the route did not have good visibility, so that led to a project in the late 1990s to add magnetic loops and

Autoscope Autoscopy is the experience in which an individual perceives the surrounding environment from a different perspective, from a position outside of their own body.Blanke, O., Mohr, C. (2005)''Out-of-body experience, heautoscopy, and autoscopic halluci ...

devices to detect buses and bicycles. These systems activate lighted stop signs to grab the attention of motorists approaching on cross streets. During the

Minnesota State Fair The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Also known by its slogan, "The Great Minnesota Get-Together", it is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance and the second-largest state f ...

(late August through Labor Day each year), Metro Transit along with other area bus companies use parts of the transitway as a fast way to get to Como Avenue via 280 to Energy Park Drive, creating a seamless

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

system from across the metro. The transitway also sees usage by non-University buses in other parts of the year. As of 2009, the

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, also known by the acronym MVTA, is a public transportation agency that serves seven communities in the southern portion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The agency provides fixed-route an ...

uses the transitway to bring buses to a parking lot across from the State Fairgrounds which is used as a layover point.

2008 modification

The western end of the transitway was cut back about in 2008 in order to make way for the new

TCF Bank Stadium Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It i ...

. Previously, it had run all the way to Oak Street in front of

Mariucci Arena 3M Arena at Mariucci is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans (9,600 in the main bowl plus club room ...

. This process also removed two stops on the western end of the transitway where there had previously been parking lots. Northbound Campus Connectors loop north around the stadium on 6th Street and Oak Street, while southbound buses use Oak Street to University Avenue before turning right onto 26th Avenue. The western stops were eliminated, while the eastern stops were moved to the entrance of the transitway. Stops at the eastern end of the transitway at Commonwealth Avenue were not affected.

References

External links

Busing - University of Minnesota Parking and Transportation Services
{{Coord, 44.97429, -93.19953, type:landmark_region:US-MN, display=title University of Minnesota Bus rapid transit in Minnesota Transportation in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Zero-fare transport services Minnesota State Fair 1992 establishments in Minnesota Metro Transit (Minnesota)