BRT stands for bus rapid transit. However, it is not fast. The Gold Line BRT will make 11 stops between Woodbury and the Union Depot downtown Saint Paul and take 40 minutes. The express bus from Woodbury to downtown Minneapolis takes only 30 minutes.

The Gold Line will run every 10 minutes during rush hour and every 15 minutes midday, evenings and Saturdays.  There will be seven additional stop lights added to Bielenberg Drive to accommodate the BRT.  The 2020 Met Transit Environmental Impact report for the Gold Line showed the noise pollution impact was already higher now on Bielenberg than the federal limits allow. Noise levels will continue to rise with increased bus traffic.

There will be three transit stations built. There will also be a parking ramp built to hold over 500 cars.  Safety is a concern for the community.  One of the stations will replace our Woodbury movie theater, a staple of our city.

The BRT Gold Line project is being driven by the unelected Metropolitan Council. The Met Council decides what will be built 1/2 mile radius around the Gold Line Route.  Lake Elmo voted “NO” to the Gold Line BRT coming into their community because they did not want Met Council dictating the future vision of their city. Their City Council’s philosophy is “more smart growth.” 

Current ridership does not show a need for the Gold Line BRT.  Metro Transit 2020 annual report shows ridership down for regional park and ride users 95.7%. Woodbury showed a decrease from 501 parking space filled in 2019 to just 18 in 2020. 

The taxpayers will fund the $531.9 million BRT with federal, state, county and city dollars. This will be the state’s most costly bus line ever built per passenger. It will be twice as expensive as the Green Line light rail between Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

There have been no pilot studies done to show a need for this $531.9 million BRT.

One of the main purposes of the Gold Line is to bring “entry-level” workers into Woodbury. There is no plan on how to get the workers to their employer once they get to the transit stations.

Bus Route 323 is coming to Woodbury this summer.  This route will start and end at the same place as the proposed Gold Line.  Buses will leave every 30 to 60 minutes between 6 AM and 11 PM daily.  At SunRay you can connect to five different routes and the total time will take 20 minutes. This is a great alternative to the BRT Gold Line and will save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Allowing the Gold Line BRT to come through Woodbury could change the whole landscape of the city. Is there a need or want to have a $531.9 million BRT running through our beautiful community. We will soon have a great alternative with the Bus Route 323, which will save taxpayers over 500 million dollars. Please help us put a stop to this project by saying “NO” to the Gold Line BRT coming through Woodbury, Minnesota.