Timeline Overview

The project released 60% design plans in September 2025. These plans reflect community input, including alignment refinements, final station locations, intersection designs, general access changes, the addition of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and preliminary landscape areas. View the 60% design plans.

The Metropolitan Council received the signed AROD from the Federal Transit Administration on August 11, 2025, which completed the project’s environmental review process. The AROD includes project commitments to address impacts and amplify benefits of the project. Read more about the environmental process and AROD.

From July 26 through October 10, 2024, cities along the route went through a process known as “municipal consent,” which involves local review of the major physical design elements of the project. Hennepin County and the four corridor Cities voted to approve preliminary design plans.

Learn more about Municipal Consent. 

Project staff, in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration, published the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), which identified specific impacts and opportunities of the project, and shared environmental findings during summer 2024. The Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS) is anticipated for summer 2025, which will identify solutions for impacts, including how to avoid, minimize and mitigate them. 

Learn more about environmental review.

Legislation passed in 2024 by the State of Minnesota allocated $10 million to a new Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity program and established a community-led governing board to oversee it.

Read about the legislation.

Hennepin County is leading funding initiatives that will help prevent displacement and maximize investment and benefits of light rail for current corridor residents and businesses. The Blue Line Extension is also working to incorporate anti-displacement measures directly into the project through the environmental review process. 

Learn more about Anti-Displacement efforts.

Project staff updated projected estimates for cost and ridership in February 2024. Updating preliminary cost and ridership estimate ranges are two of many factors the FTA consider in evaluating the project for federal funding.

Learn more about preliminary cost and ridership estimate

The project released 30% design plans in the spring of 2024, then received feedback from community and project partners to refine these plans before municipal consent.

2020: Project partners decide to explore alternate routes: Read press release here.

2022: Route recommendations: Read the Route Modification Report published in June 2022 here.

2022: Route recommendation approved by Corridor Management Committee: Read press release here.

2023: Previous plans: View previous design plans evaluated from August 2020 – September 2023 here.

2013: Alternative Analysis Summary Report  

This Alternative Analysis Summary Report summarized the Alternatives Analysis evaluation process and recommendations for the original route for the Blue Line Extension (previously titled Bottineau Transitway).  

2016: Record of Decision 

The Record of Decision (ROD) from September 19, 2016 summarizes alternatives considered, impacts identified in the Final EIS, and measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts. The ROD applies to the project described in the Final EIS published July 15, 2016.