Why We Supported the Ramsey County Transportation Plan 

District Perspectives

Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

On June 10, the Ramsey County Board voted unanimously to support improving transit and transportation in Ramsey County by adopting the Ramsey County Transportation Sales and Use Tax Capital Improvement Plan. Its adoption identified the initial set of eligible projects and, as a living document, it will evolve over time as projects are completed and new projects are added. 

Improving transit and transportation in Ramsey County will be done through countywide investments in projects that prioritize those who walk, bike, roll and use transit consistent with our All-Abilities Transportation Policy. In many cases this will involve investments in county roadways allowing them to better meet the All-Abilities Transportation Policy, better support regular route transit and provide priority for hi-frequency and premium transit services like arterial bus rapid transit (ABRT) and the METRO Green and Gold Lines. An additional focus of transit and transportation investments will be on advancing economic competitiveness and climate equity. 

This is a change from the county’s previous approach solely on particular transit corridor investments. Ramsey County originally identified over $700 million to match federal funds for the Riverview Corridor Streetcar project. This project would have improved mobility and economic vitality in the corridor while rebuilding West 7^th Street, adding streetscaping and replacing the Hwy 5 Mississippi River bridge. In September of 2024, the county made the difficult decision to stop work on the project, but didn’t end its commitment to spend its funds to improve transit and transportation facilities in Ramsey County or to help if there was a solid plan to improve transit on West 7^th. In fact, every commissioner committed to helping improve West 7^th when we voted on June 10.

In June, the legislature provided funding flexibility for the St. Paul, Metro Transit and MnDOT led West 7^th Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (ABRT) project by agreeing to let the Metropolitan Council loan MnDOT up to $250 million to the project. This funding will allow Metro Transit to advance its ABRT project and MnDOT to reconstruct its roadway. 

I’ve really appreciated recent meetings with district councils and state and city leadership where we spoke specifically about a safe and accessible route to the river on Randolph Avenue, a county road, and I am committed to making necessary improvements in consultation with the community and our city partners. 

If you’re interested in more detail on the county’s work in these areas, please visit the Ramsey County website to learn more:

• The All-Abilities 2050 Transportation Plan | Ramsey County
• The Economic Competitiveness & Inclusion Plan | Ramsey County
• The Climate Equity Action Plan | Ramsey County

I remain focused on making Ramsey County’s transit and transportation system work better for residents and businesses.  I welcome your comments and appreciate your support at [email protected]