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Popular Hiawatha line park-and-ride facility to expand

New ramp at the 28th Avenue Station will hold 1,450 parking spaces

The 28th Avenue Station park-and-ride lot in Bloomington has long been popular with commuters who ride the Hiawatha light-rail line. It’s so popular that the lot is often full on weekdays and during special events in downtown Minneapolis.

Parking capacity along the Hiawatha Line will grow significantly in the next year, thanks to a new 1,450-space parking ramp at the station. Once complete, the ramp will be Metro Transit’s largest parking structure.

Construction on the five-level facility will begin in mid-April and should be finished in fall 2008. Construction is expected to cost $16.3 million.

During construction, the park-and-ride lot south of the line will be closed. A temporary lot — on the southwest corner of 82nd Street and 28th Avenue — with 500 parking spaces will be available. The north lot, which has 150 spaces, will remain open for commuters during construction. The station itself also will remain open.

Designs call for a plaza, and retail

If a commuter has a quick shopping errand to run on the way home, he or she might be able to take care of it at the station. Plans for the ramp include 2,000 square feet of retail space. That’s not the only amenity anticipated. Designs call for a plaza between the parking ramp and the light-rail station, with room for planters, trees and areas to sit and relax.

The ramp’s construction is being financed through an arrangement with the Bloomington Port Authority. The Port Authority will fund construction through the sale of revenue bonds and will initially own the structure. According to the agreement between the Port Authority and the Met Council, the Council will make lease payments to the Port Authority. Once the bonds are paid off in 2009, the Council will own the parking ramp.

Demand for park-and-ride spaces is high

Across the system, customer demand for park-and-ride facilities continues to be high. Since 1999, the region has expanded park-and-ride capacity by 177 percent, but the number of users has grown 223 percent. The 28th Avenue Station parking ramp is one of more than a dozen major facilities set for building or expansion between now and 2010.