WOODBURY, Minn. — In a matter of months, at least one major construction project will be wrapping up in the east metro.
The Bielenberg Bridge is the area's newest access point between Woodbury and Oakdale. With it comes a first-of-its-kind bus route that skips traffic and can get riders to and from work in just 30 minutes.
"We are hopping in Oakdale, that's for sure," said the city's mayor Kevin Zabel.
The bridge is part of a bigger plan that's been in the works for at least a decade - with community engagement at its center.
"We took all that feedback into consideration and came up with a zoning plan that we feel like checked a lot of boxes for our residents and addressed their concerns," said Zabel. "And for the next few years, they're going to see there are new shops and restaurants that they should come and visit."
The city's growth spurt is sparked by the Gold Line - a first-of-its-kind project that broke ground last year. It will eventually provide bus service for 10 miles between St. Paul and Woodbury.
The bus will also mostly operate on a dedicated lane along the north side of I-94, meaning riders can skip congestion and traffic lights.
"That'll be the first time we're adding transit all day," said Metro Transit's Deputy General Manager Nick Thompson. "Frequent, fast, reliable transit, seven days a week to that part of the Twin Cities."
For Metro Transit, it's part of a network of 17 transit lines that Thompson says will get half a million people to and from work faster and more frequently. But unlike the agency's problematic Southwest Light Rail, plagued by rising costs and delays, Thompson says the Gold Line is right on track.
"It's opening within budget and we're seeing really good response from the community, but it's progressing very rapidly," said Thompson.
It will also improve access to people along the route, up to 20% of whom don't have a car.
"You don't see an overpass go up over I-94 every day," said Zabel about the Beilenberg Bridge. It will have its own lanes for busses, bikers and pedestrians and connect Oakdale to Woodbury - taking a bulk of the traffic away from Radio Drive.
"It's a new sense of community in an area we've always wanted to capitalize on," said Zabel.
This long-awaited project is also on schedule. The bus line should open in 2025 and the bridge already in November.
The cost of the Gold Line itself is more than $500 million. The federal government paid for nearly half, while Ramsey and Washington Counties split the rest.
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