Maplewood staff outline Bronze Line plan: micro‑transit by 2026, full service by 2032

Maplewood City Manager Sable presented details of the newly announced Bronze Line to the City Council at a Dec. 8 manager workshop, saying the hybrid bus rapid transit (BRT) route will run about 9.8 miles with 22 stations total and five stops inside Maplewood.

"The Bronze Line really is, the first hybrid transit line in the Twin Cities metro network," City Manager Sable said, explaining the line combines fixed-guideway segments and arterial BRT that will run in regular traffic through Maplewood rather than on the Bruce Vento Trail. "I just wanna state again, there is no transit proposed on the Bruce Vento Trail, that will still remain a bike and pedestrian place."

Why it matters: staff and council framed the project as a community mobility upgrade while insisting the alignment addressed earlier local concerns about the Purple Line proposal. Sable said station amenities will include near-level boarding, shelters, signage, heat-on-demand and real-time arrival information to speed boarding and improve accessibility.

Sable described Metro Micro — a demand‑responsive service similar to ride‑hailing — as an early improvement residents will see. "The current estimate for operation of micro transit will start in September 2026," Sable told the council, adding the micro service is expected to provide first/last‑mile connections to nearby destinations including Century College.

On funding, Sable said construction is being handled as a county project and does not rely on federal construction funds. When Councilmember Lee and Mayor Abrams asked who would pay, Sable said Ramsey County has pledged to cover about 90% of the costs and Metro Transit about 10%, and that the city of Maplewood is not being asked to fund the construction of station amenities. "There is a pot of transit sales tax dollars that are available to Ramsey County to pay for this," Sable said.

Councilors raised community concerns and process items. Councilmember Villavicencio welcomed the project as an East Metro anchor and urged early and visible public information — including display boards at local partners and outreach to Maplewood businesses — to minimize construction impacts. "We need to make sure that we inform our Maplewood businesses of what's going on," Villavicencio said.

Councilmember Lee asked staff to produce a contingency plan for businesses along White Bear Avenue during the multi‑year construction period and requested clearer, itemized cost information from the project team in future briefings.

Sable said next procedural steps include continued staff participation in the Corridor Management Committee and technical advisory teams, with Metro Transit and Ramsey County expected to present a locally preferred alternative to Maplewood policymakers in spring 2026 (staff indicated a February timeframe as likely). A construction timeline presented to the council projects full Bronze Line operation in 2032, a schedule Sable said is driven largely by more extensive construction in Saint Paul (bridges and fixed‑guideway segments).

The council did not take a formal vote on the project at the workshop. Sable committed to additional outreach — including published articles in Maplewood Living and targeted business outreach — and to bring more detailed cost, design and construction information to future council briefings. The workshop adjourned after the discussion concluded.