Busway along the tracks?
County compares advantages vs. CR 81 median
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| Hennepin County will study the feasibility of building a busway along the BNSF Railway tracks rather than in the County Road 81 median. |
August 2005—Hennepin County will soon release its study on the feasibility of routing a dedicated BRT lane along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway line running parallel to CR 81. Planning to date has focused on creating a BRT lane in the CR 81 median.
“The median alignment works, but with bonding delayed we have time to see whether the railroad alignment could work better,” said Chuck Ballentine, transit director for Hennepin County.
“The question is, if we want to build the BRT lane alongside the tracks, can the traffic lights and crossing gates be timed so that the rapid buses can move across the intersections while still achieving decent traffic flow and safe driving conditions on 81.”
The Bass Lake Road and 63rd Avenue intersections with CR 81 will be the subjects of the study.
The Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority has been negotiating with BNSF about the use of its right-of-way for BRT. While the study will not specifically address the costs, Metro Transit says that affordability is a key aspect of whether a railroad alignment would work.
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