Link Bus Rapid Transit
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Link, previously known as Rochester Rapid Transit and the Downtown Circulator, is a
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 ...
line planned for downtown
Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...
. The 2.6 mile route would connect downtown Rochester, Mayo Clinic's downtown campus, Mayo Clinic's Saint Mary's campus,
University of Minnesota Rochester The University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR) is a public college in Rochester, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and focuses primarily on general health sciences. It was formally established by an act of the state legisl ...
, and a new 13-acre
transit-oriented development In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...
at the western terminus. Construction is expected to begin 2022 or 2023, with operations commencing 2025.


History

On May 4, 2020, the Rochester City Council unanimously approved a multi-phased approach to construction. The full system would be built in two phases: Phase 1 would be built on Second Street from West Transit Village to Civic District station; Phase 2 would extend the line approximately south on Broadway Avenue to East Transit Village. The phased approach of the project would raise the cost-effectiveness rating with the
Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...
from "medium-high" to "high", making the project more competitive for funding through the Small Starts program. The phased approach also gives the city and Olmsted County additional time to plan the redevelopment of the former Seneca Foods site into East Transit Village. On Wednesday October 21, 2020, project leaders announced that engineering, traffic, and environmental analyses would begin. Phase 1 of the project is expected to cost $114 million, with local funding coming from the State of Minnesota, Olmsted County Transit Aid, state provided Destination Medical Center funds, and the City of Rochester. On August 28, 2020, the City of Rochester submitted a Small Starts grant application to the Federal Transit Administration to fund 49% of Phase 1's cost. Phase 2 will be developed with Olmsted County for future grant submittal. The complete line is expected to cost $203 million. Estimated daily ridership on Phase 1 of the project is 9,925 daily riders, with the complete line seeing an estimated 11,850 daily riders. On September 13, 2021, Rochester officials unveiled the Link brand accompanied with a
mockup In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup may be a ''prototype'' if it provides at leas ...
station. The mockup, situated at the future Civic Center Station site on 2nd Street at 3rd Avenue SE, demonstrates bus rapid transit features such as the shelter layout, off-board fare collection, real-time signage, and an long level platform. The site also features renderings of the line's seven stations and more information about the project. In early February 2022, Rochester City Council announced they would review potential changes to the line after receiving public feedback. The proposed changes would upgrade amenities at the two primary stations, Saint Mary's Transit Center and 2nd Avenue Station, and extend the line south along 3rd Avenue SE with an additional station near 6th Street. The changes under review would an additional year for environmental review and would bring the cost of Phase 1 to $146.8 million. The additional $32.8 million would be covered by the Federal Transit Administration, increasing their share of the project costs from 49% to 60%.


Route

The 2.6 mile route begins at Mayo Clinic's west lot at 2nd Street and 23rd Avenue SW. On August 25, 2020, the DMC Corporation Board of Directors voted unanimously to modify the DMC's boundaries to include the westernmost portion of the route, making the project eligible receive DMC funding. The route continues east along 2nd Street in dedicated
bus lane A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, often on certain days and times, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway ...
s, stopping at five enhanced stations along 2nd Street. After Broadway Avenue, the route would make a clockwise loop with two additional stops at 2nd Street & 3rd Avenue SE and 4th Street & Broadway Avenue before returning down 2nd Street the opposite direction. Link will use new 60 ft articulated
battery electric bus A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source. In 2018, the National Renewable Energy Laborato ...
es with three-doors and will be operated by
Rochester Public Transit Rochester Public Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in Olmsted County, Minnesota with routes serving the Rochester area. As of 2019, the system provided 2,155,230 rides over 132,686 annual vehicle revenue hours with 68 buses ...
.


References


External links


Rochester Rapid Transit Project
{{USBRT Rochester, Minnesota Bus rapid transit in Minnesota