Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Forest Lake will host one of two open houses planned next month by the Rush Line Corridor Task Force. The events will share information with the public and gather input about an ongoing study of enhanced commuter bus service in the corridor.

The open house in Forest Lake will take place 5-7 p.m., Thursday, June 21 at Forest Lake City Hall, 220 N. Lake St.

The task force is undertaking two studies of transit in the fast-growing corridor from Minnesota’s Union Depot in St. Paul to Hinckley. The task force, made up of more than two dozen elected officials from counties and municipalities along the corridor, has hired SRF Consulting Group, Inc., to complete the commuter bus study. The task force is working with SRF to develop and evaluate four commuter bus service scenarios:

•Hinckley to downtown St. Paul

•Hinckley to downtown Minneapolis

•Forest Lake to downtown St. Paul

•Forest Lake to downtown Minneapolis.

Other points

Taking into account projected demand for bus service and cost, the consultants will develop a service plan for the four scenarios.

The plans will be shared with the public at two listening sessions:

June 19: 5 to 7 p.m., Rush City Community Center, 720 W. 14th St., Rush City.

June 21: 5 to 7 p.m., Forest Lake City Hall, 220 N. Lake St.

After hearing from the public, the task force and consultants will finalize service plans. The study is expected to cost $50,000, to be paid by the five member counties.

The task force is also hiring a consultant to complete an alternatives analysis of transit options in the corridor.

In the analysis, an initial step in securing federal New Starts transit funding, different routes (such as I-35/I-35E, Highway 61/County Road 30, and various existing and former freight railroad lines) and modes of transit will be considered and evaluated for their benefits, costs and impacts.

Input from the public, communities, other stakeholders and the task force will be critical for the success of this study. The 12-month study will begin in June and conclude in summer 2008.

It is expected to cost $500,000, with 80 percent to be paid for by the federal government and 20 percent to be paid by the five member counties.

Study updates and meeting announcements will be added to the project’s website www.rushlinecorridor.com as they become available.

The corridor

The 80-mile Rush Line corridor extends from Minnesota’s Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to Hinckley, generally along Highway 61 and I-35E/I-35.

A joint powers organization was created in 1998 to study and implement transit improvements because congestion in the area was increasing and improved transit service in the corridor was viewed as one part of the solution.

Federal funds were obtained to complete a transit study in 2001. A decision was made by the Rush Line Task Force to pursue both short- and long-term goals. Short-term goals were to preserve rights-of-way for future transit use and to construct facilities such as park-and-ride lots that would benefit the long-term goal of busway and rail transit in the Rush Line Corridor.

In 2005, two vans were purchased with Rush Line funds. The vehicles were fully leased for vanpool operation in 2006. One vanpool originates each day in Chisago County and carries seven people to Guidant and Boston Scientific in Arden Hills. The seven vanpoolers live in Chisago City, Forest Lake, Lindstrom, Harris and North Branch.

Also in 2005, Rush Line contributed funds to assist with completing a park-and-ride lot at Maplewood Mall in Ramsey County. In 2006, an 85-car park-and-ride lot opened in Stacy, Chisago County, at CR-17 near I-35 along the corridor. This park-and-ride facility has expansion capacity for 400 vehicles.

A park-and-ride lot is being constructed, scheduled to open in 2007 in Forest Lake near US-61 and TH-97.

Local officials who serve on the task force include Columbus City Council member Renae Fry, Wyoming City Council member Gary Menne, Forest Lake City Council member Susan Young, Wyoming Town Board member Mark Utecht, Washington County Commissioner Dennis Hegberg of Forest Lake and Chisago County Commissioner Ben Montzka of Wyoming.

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