University of Minnesota Transitway

U of M Transitway
Overview
System	University of Minnesota shuttle, Minnesota State Fair shuttle
Status	Open
Began service	1992
Routes
Routes	Campus Connector (route 121), Metro Transit route 272
Locale	Minneapolis, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Falcon Heights, Minnesota
Stations	1 (formerly 3)
Route map Oak St Buses continue on surface streets 23rd Ave SE 23rd Avenue SE 25th Avenue SE 29th Avenue SE 30th Avenue SE Malcolm Avenue SE Westgate Drive MN 280 BNSF Midway Subdivision Energy Park Drive Raymond Avenue BNSF St. Paul Subdivision Como Avenue Commonwealth Avenue Buses continue on surface streets This diagram: ← {{{previous_line}}}  {{{system_nav}}}  {{{next_line}}} →

The U of M Transitway is a busway that runs between the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. Use of the roadway is limited to buses, bicycles, and emergency vehicles. The University of Minnesota runs zero-fare buses along the busway connecting the two campuses, primarily the Campus Connector but also shuttles to and from the St. Paul campus for football games. A bicycle trail runs alongside the transitway for most of its distance. Between the endpoints, there are only two intersections with stoplights controlling busway traffic at Energy Park Drive and Como Avenue. The stoplights are designed to normally give the buses priority, so it is possible for many buses to run the length of the transitway without stopping.

Plans for a park-and-ride between the Saint Paul and Minneapolis campuses were first introduced in 1976. The project was delayed due to St. Anthony Park neighborhood concerns, required land purchases, University budgets and federal transportation requirements. U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo pushed through $2.8 million for the transitway in the 1987 House appropriations bill. The final project was approved in 1990 and included three park and ride lots, two in Minneapolis and one in Saint Paul. The project added 2,400 parking spaces to the Minneapolis campus. The project cost $21 million with $1.2 million from MnDOT, $6.4 million from the University and $13.5 million in federal money from the Interstate Substitution Funds. The busway opened in 1992.

There were a large number of crashes in the early years of the transitway. It was determined that many intersections along the route did not have good visibility, so that led to a project in the late 1990s to add magnetic loops and Autoscope devices to detect buses and bicycles. These systems activate lighted stop signs to grab the attention of motorists approaching on cross streets.

During the Minnesota State Fair (late August through Labor Day each year), Metro Transit along with other area bus companies use parts of the transitway as a fast way to get to Como Avenue via 280 to Energy Park Drive, creating a seamless park and ride system from across the metro. The transitway also sees usage by non-University buses in other parts of the year. As of 2009, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority uses the transitway to bring buses to a parking lot across from the State Fairgrounds which is used as a layover point.

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