City staff lay out options to move downtown buses off Nicollet Mall; council members press for clearer process and equity analysis

City transportation staff presented a report to the Climate and Infrastructure Committee on March 20 outlining three candidate corridors and engagement to move Portland Avenue transit off Nicollet Mall to support a pedestrianized, activated downtown.

Kathleen Mayle, transportation planning manager in Public Works, said the work aims to “envision the next phase of Nicollet Mall” and described coordinated planning with Metro Transit on where buses could relocate. “There are nearly 12,000 on and offs on the corridor, each day,” she said, and staff have developed three options for where routes 10, 11, 17, 18 and 25 could move.

The options differ in which downtown streets would host the relocated routes. Option 1 would route most lines to a Marquette/Second one‑way pair and move routes 11 and 25 to Hennepin Avenue; Option 2 would create two‑direction transit and general‑purpose lanes on Marquette and Second; Option 3 would shift local and BRT service to Third Avenue while leaving express service on…