31 July 2023
Some business owners on the East Side of St. Paul aren’t convinced that the new Metro Transit Gold Line will be worth its $505 million budget — or the construction impacts they’re enduring now.
Metro Transit received $239 million in federal funding, in addition to funding from Ramsey and Washington counties, to create a bus rapid transit line connecting St. Paul and Woodbury. New bus-only lanes will stop at 16 places along a 10-mile stretch of the Interstate 94 corridor. The project is estimated to be completed in 2025.
“Investments in bus rapid transit make it so much easier to get around without a car, reducing pollution and opening access to more opportunities,” Nuria Fernandez, administrator of the Federal Transportation Administration, said when she brought the giant novelty check for the federal portion of the project in April.
Construction is well under way on the East Side near Hudson Road and Earl Street. So far, some business owners along the future bus route are less than enthusiastic.
Leo’s Chow Mein has been an East Side staple for 40 years. But the recent construction has made things difficult for the restaurant.
“We’ve lost 30 to 40 percent of our customers,” employee Cherry Wu said. “Most of them are regulars and they only know one route to get to the restaurant. Some of our older customers will call ahead with an order and then call again to cancel because they can’t walk down the broken-up road.”
Wu said that until recently, not only was Hudson Road closed, but Earl Street was also closed for construction of an overpass bridge, making access to Leo’s essentially impossible.
“Regulars are surprised to see the parking lot is empty, because they know it used to be totally full,” Wu said.
She said Leo’s had only received one map from the city detailing the plans for construction, and they only received the map right as construction began.
“There was no communication in advance,” Wu said.
Business owners are not the only ones put out by the construction. “Because there are no customers, prices have gone way up,” Marty Simmons said, as he waited for his order, “I used to eat here every day, but now, not so much.”
Down the street at Cheers Pub, regular customers gathered to share a drink and their opinions on the construction.
One customer spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I’m a regular,” she explained, “I call this pub my office.”
Cheers Pub experienced issues similar to Leo’s, including difficulties in accessing the pub and a downtick in customer flow. But regulars were not convinced that the temporary inconveniences would be worth it even once the Gold Line was complete.
“I’ve lived on the East Side my whole life,” one customer said, “But this new bus line is going to turn the neighborhood into downtown. And that doesn’t mean it’ll become safer.”
Cheers Pub is one business affected by the construction for the Gold Line rapid bus service from Metro Transit. Customers say the construction has made the business difficult to access, and they don’t think the bus line will be beneficial it once it’s complete. (Jennifer Leonard / Pioneer Press)
Others optimistic
Other business owners are more optimistic about the benefits of the new line.
Mohammed Mekki has operated MNS Grocery at the corner of Earl Street and Hudson Road for the past eight months.
Other than initial confusion about which roads would be closed, Mekki says communication with the city has been clear, and he is hopeful the new bus line will increase his customer flow once it’s completed.
“I think it will be good for business,” he said.
Drew Kerr, spokesperson for Metro Transit, said businesses on Hudson Road were given advanced warning and that Metro Transit has remained in touch with them.
“Gold Line project staff notified businesses along Hudson Road before construction began and continue to communicate with the business community through in-person visits, flyers, direct mail, email and phone conversations,” Kerr said.
Freeway ramps near Etna Street will be closed overnights this week for construction of a bus-only bridge, according to the latest Gold Line construction bulletin. Hudson Road between Earl and Griffith Streets will close Wednesday.
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