The Metro Transit Gold Rapid Bus Line is set to open in a matter of weeks with service between Woodbury and downtown St. Paul.
After two years of construction the project is not only finishing on time - but also under budget.
Project lead Alicia Vap says the final bill for the project came in at just over $505 million and adds much of the credit for the savings belongs to the construction team.
"We've really been fortunate," she says. "We've also had some great weather that our contractors been able to take advantage of, and so they really worked as a team to keep the costs contained, to work with our contractor, and our team overall really worked to deliver this project under budget."
Under budget is good news for the organization that is dealing with major cost overruns on the ongoing Southwest Light Rail Transit project. That light rail line from Minneapolis out to Eden Prairie in the southwest metro is now costing upwards of $3 billion, more than double initial estimates.
An extension for the Blue Line train between downtown Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park is also set to cost another $3 billion.
Vap says service will begin on March 22 and that some of the finishing touches include new safety features.
"We are using red paint on the guideway to mark areas for emergency vehicles," says Vap. "The guideway itself is for the Gold Line buses only, so no private vehicles, no bicycles. We have constructed a great network of trails along the corridor. You can ride your bike or walk all the way from the Sun Ray Shopping center out to Woodbury."
Vap says next her team will be working on the Gold Line Extension with service between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, which is replacing the current Interstate 94 express bus route. She says that line will employ as many as 34 new drivers when it opens.
