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Aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse

Metro Transit helps region regain normalcy

The I-35W bridge collapse on Aug. 1 in downtown Minneapolis shattered lives within seconds and tore a major transportation artery from the region.

While the recovery and clean-up efforts at the river continued throughout August, Metro Transit helped the region adjust and regain some normalcy. Beginning Aug. 2, the agency ramped up service between Minneapolis and park-and-ride lots in the north and northeast metro, helping commuters get to their jobs in downtown Minneapolis in the face of added traffic congestion.

“So far, the peak-hour traffic has been moving relatively well, particularly in the mornings as people have adjusted their travel patterns,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell. Improvements on Highway 280, and addition of a lane on I-94 between 280 and downtown Minneapolis, have also helped mitigate congestion, he said.

“But with summer coming to an end, we know that traffic will increase again,” said Bell. “The Council’s transit response plan is designed to ease congestion during the bridge reconstruction period. We will continue to monitor demand and will provide service on the street accordingly.”

Plans call for fleet expansion, more park-and-ride spaces  

Metro Transit’s efforts to help the region recover are now focused on long-term plans for congestion relief in the region, since it may take a year or longer to replace the bridge. On Aug. 24, the Council approved the I-35W Bridge Transit Response Plan. The plan includes:

• Providing additional express bus service
• Expanding its bus fleet
• Hiring more operators and mechanics and
• Adding thousands of new park-and-ride spaces in the north and east metro.

Funding for the plan is expected from state and federal sources. Some of the plan will be supported by $5 million in federal money for emergency transit efforts. This will pay for additional bus service, new drivers and mechanics, and marketing and fare incentives.

Metro Transit anticipates putting up to 75 additional buses in service. Under the plan, the agency wants to buy up to 55 new buses: 40 forty-foot buses – up to 18 of which will be hybrids and 22 will have clean diesel engines – and 15 articulated buses. To operate and maintain the new buses, the agency will need up to 75 part-time drivers and 26 full-time mechanics. Metro Transit is recruiting and hiring these employees now. 

Finally, capacity in north and east park-and-ride lots would expand by 2,100 spaces. Another 1,300 spaces would be added at new park-and-ride locations.

Response immediately after the catastrophe

Metro Transit was involved in the disaster response from the onset. Transit Police officers were among the first responders, and buses were used for briefings, for shuttling police and other officials to the accident scene, and for shelter near the disaster site’s command post.

Within hours of the collapse, Metro Transit had formulated a plan to roll out extra buses the following morning. To help reduce congestion, the agency deployed 25 extra buses beginning Aug. 2 to supplement existing service from north-metro park-and-ride locations and to augment service on local routes. That service was in addition to free bus rides offered to customers from 12 park-and-ride lots the week after the collapse, resulting in a 33 percent increase in use of those lots.  See information on express bus service to downtown.

The agency moved quickly to create more parking spaces at park-and-ride lots. Capacity was added at the park-and-ride facilities at Highway 610 and Noble and at I-35W and 95th Avenue, both located north of downtown Minneapolis.

In addition, the agency reached out to downtown Minneapolis business and community leaders to encourage transit use and carpooling by downtown workers. More than 100,000 inserts were included in community newspapers, outlining transit options.