METRO Blue Line Extension

The Blue Line Extension is a Metro Transit and Hennepin County project that would extend light rail transit from Target Field station in Minneapolis to the vicinity of Oak Grove Parkway and West Broadway in Brooklyn Park.

The city staff contact is Community Development Director John Sutter at 763-531-1130, [email protected].

There may be openings for Crystal representatives on two project advisory committees, the Business Advisory Committee and Community Advisory Committee. For more information, visit the city's Boards and Commissions page.

Upcoming Meetings/What's Happening Now?
BLX Timeline

General Community Engagement Resources:
• Community engagement page on project website.
• See information about upcoming or previous in-person or virtual community meetings regarding the project.
• Email or call Joanna Ocasio-Maisonet at [email protected] or call 612-373-3893 with your input.
• View and leave comments on the interactive map.

Oct. 4, 2024: Bass Lake Road Station Area Plan Update. Based on the new alignment down the middle of Bottineau Blvd., including an interchange at Bass Lake Road, Hennepin County worked with city staff to complete this update to the July 2016 Station Area Plan. The 2016 plan was based on an alignment using the BNSF rail corridor which Metro Transit stopped pursuing in 2020. The Station Area Plan has not been formally adopted by the city council but will be one factor in the decision-making process when specific redevelopment or infrastructure opportunities arise. Relevant elements of the Station Area Plan may be presented to the planning commission and city council for possible inclusion in the city’s next Comprehensive Plan update due in 2028.

Oct. 1, 2024: Crystal City Council action regarding municipal consent approval of the preliminary design plans:
• City council adopted resolution approving the preliminary design plans
• Staff report
• Proposed approval resolution
• Proposed disapproval resolution

Sep. 17, 2024: Anticipated Crystal City Council action regarding Municipal Consent. On Sep. 17, the council voted to continue consideration of municipal consent to its Oct. 1 meeting.

Aug. 26, 2024: Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County public hearing from 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Conference Center, 1256 Penn Ave. N. Suite 5200, Minneapolis. This will be a joint public hearing by the Metropolitan Council, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority.

Aug. 20, 2024: Crystal City Council presentation

Aug. 20, 2024: Crystal City Council work session to discuss municipal consent.

Aug. 20, 2024: Crystal open house and public hearing (68 MB) regarding municipal consent.
• To speak directly to METRO Blue Line Extension project staff and ask questions about the project, please attend the open house from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N. The open house displays will include the preliminary design plans.
• To speak directly to the Crystal City Council about the preliminary design plans for the Crystal segment of the project, please attend the public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. at Crystal City Hall, 4141 Douglas Dr. N. Alternatively you may send written comments to John Sutter, City of Crystal, 4141 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal MN 55422 or email [email protected].

Aug. 8, 2024: Published notice of Aug. 20 open house and public hearing regarding municipal consent.

Aug. 2, 2024: City comment letter regarding the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

July 31, 2024: Preliminary design plans of the Crystal segment and 3D model of Bass Lake Road interchange on display in the basement of Crystal City Hall for public viewing anytime during normal business hours (8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday).

July 26, 2024: Preliminary design plans for municipal consent.
• Transmittal letter from Metropolitan Council.
• Link to Municipal Consent Statute (M.S. 473.3994).
• Municipal Consent Guide.
• Crystal Segment Plan Sheets for 11x17 paper (26MB file).
• Crystal Segment Plan Sheets - full size (82 MB file).
• Links to plan sheets for other cities’ segments may be found on the project website’s plan documents page.

July 16, 2024:
• Crystal City Council letter to the project regarding a major unresolved issue (West Broadway jurisdictional transfer).
• Crystal City Council work session presentation.
• Crystal City Council staff report.

March 7, 2024: Community open house from 5-7 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N., to see the latest plans from Metro Transit and Hennepin County. Materials from the open house:
- Boards (12MB file).
- Layout of the Crystal segment (29MB file).
The layout of the Crystal segment and a 3D model of the proposed interchange at Bass Lake Road are on display and available for public viewing at Crystal City Hall during normal business hours.

Jan. 11, 2024: Crystal City Council work session materials (90MB file).

Sept. 2023: Route recommendation approved by Corridor Management Committee (for the Crystal segment, see slides 31-37).

May 2023: Field work information handout.

March 8, 2023: City letter with preliminary design comments.
(approved by City Council at March 7 meeting).
Detailed roll plots:
• Four lanes with interchange at Bass Lake Road (41 MB file).
• Four lanes at grade but six lanes at Bass Lake Road (42 MB file).
• Six lanes at grade from Hwy. 100 - Bass Lake Road (28 MB file).

Jan. 30 - April 17: Several in-person community meetings at each city along the corridor. Crystal’s meeting will be on Monday, Feb. 27 from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr.

Feb. 9, 2023: Crystal City Council work session materials.

Oct. 26, 2022: Community meeting (same materials as October 13 work session).

Oct. 13, 2022: Crystal City Council work session materials.

Aug. 15, 2022: Anti-Displacement Meeting, 5 - 7 p.m., Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr.
The Blue Line Extension project has contracted with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to develop intentional strategies and policies to maximize community benefits and minimize displacement along the route. Residents, businesses owners and others in the community are encouraged to attend this meeting. It will include lessons learned from other light rail transit lines and conversations to help the Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Work Group develop actionable displacement mitigation recommendations.

July 19, 2022: City council resolution requesting inclusion of a six lane alternative in the environmental review process. Note: This does not mean the city council is unified about six lanes being needed on Bottineau Blvd. through Crystal. It means that, to evaluate the project, the city council needs to see a six lane alternative included in the Environmental Review in addition to the four lane alternative being proposed by Metro Transit and Hennepin County.

June 22-22, 2022: Route recommendation adopted by Hennepin County and Metro Transit.

May 5, 2022: In-person community meeting from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N.

April 18, 2022: Route Modification Report released:
Executive Summary (4 pages, 510 KB)
Full Report (127 pages, 14 MB)

Feb. 10, 2022: Crystal City Council work session materials.

Jan. 18, 2022: Crystal City Council Resolution commenting on Metro Transit's Route Modification Report.

Jan. 6, 2022: In-person Community Open House from 5-7 p.m. at Crystal City Hall, 4141 Douglas Dr. N. to view and comment on design concepts and traffic simulations for the Crystal segment.

Dec. 21, 2021: City Council work session materials regarding design concepts and traffic simulations for the Crystal segment.

Dec. 13, 2021: Metro Transit Draft Route Modification Report released.

Sept. 29, 2021: In-Person Community Open House from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Dr. N. (same materials as Sept. 23 work session).

Sept. 23, 2021: City Council work session - Presentation Materials.

July 29, 2021: Virtual Community Meeting - presentation - video.

July 26, 2021: In-Person Community Open House at Becker Park (same materials as July 20 work session).

July 20, 2021: City Council work session staff report.

May 18, 2021: City Council work session presentation.

April 20, 2021: City Council work session presentation.

March 11, 2021: The project released initial routes for consideration and public comment:
Initial Route Summary
Initial Route Evaluation Report

BNSF Alignment No Longer Being Considered
The following information and links are related to the proposed alignment that would have used the BNSF corridor. Please note that this proposed alignment is no longer being pursued by Metro Transit.

Metro Transit is proposing to expand light rail transit (LRT) service to the northwest suburbs. The Metro Blue Line Extension (route map) would run from Minneapolis to Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, Crystal and Brooklyn Park. It would provide direct, “one seat” service from Crystal to regional destinations like downtown Minneapolis, MSP International Airport and the Mall of America. Riders could also transfer to the Green Line LRT serving the University of Minnesota and St. Paul to the east, and St. Louis Park, Hopkins and Eden Prairie to the southwest.

Crystal would have a station and park & ride lot at the southwest corner of Bass Lake Rd. and Bottineau Blvd.

The “municipal consent” phase was completed in March 2016. The City Council held a public hearing on Feb. 16, 2016 and the City Council adopted this resolution on Feb. 29, 2016. The resolution states that the city chooses to neither approve nor disapprove the municipal consent plans, which means that the plans are deemed approved under state law. Note that the proposed pedestrian bridge over Bottineau Blvd. for the Bass Lake Rd. station has not been included in the Blue Line Extension project. See the city's Sept. 12, 2016 letter to Metropolitan Council on this subject.

METRO Blue Line Extension project plans are complete. The next steps prior to bidding and construction are for Metro Transit to secure an easement to use eight miles of the BNSF corridor and apply for a grant from the Federal Transit Administration. Visit the METRO Blue Line Extension webpage for more information. You may also view the roll plot for the Crystal segment and the updates presented to the city council on July 18, 2017, Oct. 12, 2017, Jan. 16, 2018 and April 17, 2018.