The Red Rock Corridor is a proposed

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

transitway in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

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

and

Saint 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; ...

. The route connects the metropolitan area's southeastern suburbs to downtown St. Paul, and through it to downtown Minneapolis. The transitway would originate in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west a ...

with planned stops in Cottage Grove,

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

and Saint Paul. The route will terminate at Saint Paul's Union Depot. From Union Depot, riders will connect with express buses, local buses, and the

Metro Green Line The Metro Green Line (formerly called the Central Corridor) is an light rail line that connects the central business districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota as well as the University of Minnesota. An extension is under constructi ...

to Minneapolis,

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport , also less commonly known as Wold-Chamberlain Field, is a joint civil-military public-use international airport located in Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory, Minnesota, United States. Although s ...

, and the

Mall of America Mall of America (MOA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway ...

. Highway 61 is the principal arterial for the Red Rock Corridor and is in a primary corridor for rail, truck, and automobile travel. By 2030, an increase of 100,000 people is projected for the southeast metro. The majority of jobs, however, will continue to be located within Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state ...

anticipates heavy congestion along Highway 61 during the morning and evening commute periods by 2030. The Red Rock Corridor Commission was established in 1998 as a joint powers board to address transportation needs for the corridor. The commission is made up of 11 members that represent the counties and communities along the transitway. Additionally, representatives from Goodhue County, the City of Red Wing, Prairie Island Indian Community, and the Canadian Pacific Railway serve as ex-officio members. The Red Rock Corridor Commission originally selected commuter rail as the mode for the Red Rock Corridor. In 2007, the commission determined that expanding service through a phased approach would help build demand for transit. The preferred mode of operation was updated to bus rapid transit during the Alternatives Analysis Update completed in 2014. The Red Rock Corridor Commission completed an implementation plan in 2016 focused on a phased approach to bring BRT to the southeast metro area.http://www.redrockcorridor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Final_Report-Red-Rock_9-26-16-low-res.pdf Strategies include improving local bus service in the near term and implementing BRT in the long term. The Red Rock Corridor Commission adopted the Implementation Plan on October 26, 2016.

References

External links

Red Rock Corridor Transitway web site

Red Rock Corridor Route Map
{{Twin Cities Transit Transportation in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Transportation in Washington County, Minnesota Proposed bus rapid transit in the United States Proposed public transportation in Minnesota Bus rapid transit in Minnesota Metro Transit (Minnesota)