Ramsey County scraps plan for transit project linking downtown St. Paul to Mall of America

After a decade of development, Ramsey County announced Friday it will not be going forward with the Riverview Corridor project.

The transit project would have run either a streetcar or bus rapid transit line from Union Depot in downtown St. Paul to Mall of America, with a stop at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in between.

In a news release, the county said it decided to shelve the project after hearing feedback from the community, businesses and other stakeholders.

“During engagement sessions, issues were raised about potential construction impacts, safety and security concerns facing transit and communities overall, among other issues,” the county said.

The two streetcar options on the table would have cost around $2 billion and would have involved a complete reconstruction of West Seventh Street and a new Highway 5 bridge over the Mississippi River.

The BRT option would have come with a much lower price tag of $121 million. Some transit advocates preferred the bus route because it would allow for better connectivity to suburbs in the east metro via the Gold Line and Purple Line.

Construction on the project was planned to begin in 2029, with the line opening in late 2033.

“We appreciate all the hard work Ramsey County has done on this project and look forward to continuing to partner with the county and community leaders to meet their transit needs,” Metropolitan Council spokesman John Schadl said in a statement.