LINK - Bus Rapid Transit

Collaborators 

Lead Organization: Mayo, City of Rochester, DMC

Contact: DMC Communications ; Email: erinobrien@dmceda.org ; Phone: TBD

Known/Likely Collaborators: City of Rochester, MN ; Community Development Department (Formerly Rochester-Olmsted Planning Department) ; DMC EDA ; SRF Consulting

Potential Collaborators:

Related Projects

DMC Transportation: Parking ; Destination Medical Center (DMC) ; Rochester, MN Transit Development Plan Update ; SE Mn Transportation Projects Information Portal ; The Rochester - Twin Cities Rail Corridor (Zip Rail) ; Transportation: ROCOG Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) ; West Transit Village

Impacts 

Major Impact:  Mobility

PlanScape Impacts :

Level 1: Transportation

Level 2: Transportation, Heart of the City, Discovery Square, UMR and Recreation, Central Station, Waterfront, St Marys Place

DMC Impacts:

Livable City, Hotel & Hospitality, Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, Heart of the City, Discovery Square, UMR and Recreation, Central Station, Waterfront, St Marys Place

Community Health Impacts:

Financial Stress/Homelessness, Social Determinants

Type of Project

Planning  

Why is Link necessary?

The 2nd Street SW corridor is one of the most heavily-used corridors in the City of Rochester, carrying more than 21,800 vehicles and 13,000 transit riders each day. The corridor is already near capacity, and congestion causes significant delays for transit users, drivers, and others traveling through the area. Link Rapid Transit will:

• Expand transportation options.
• Reduce the need for expensive parking.
• Alleviate future congestion.
• Prepare for downtown growth and support sustainable development.
• Improve quality of life for residents, employees, and visitors.

Downtown is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years.  Link will help people take more trips downtown by riding transit, biking, walking, and carpooling.

BRT was selected in 2019 as a result of the Alternatives Evaluation. The preferred route follows 2nd Street SW from the Mayo West Lot to downtown Rochester and will primarily operate in dedicated bus lanes. The current phase of work includes:

• Environmental review.
• Preliminary engineering.
• Communication and public engagement.

DMC Feb 2025 Board Meeting Memo 

City of Rochester Receives $84.92 Million Federal Grant for Transformative Link Bus Rapid Transit Project

LINK Progress Report to City Council 

Rochester eyes TIF to support Transit Village, Public Parking

March 2, 2025 Update per PB Reporting

May 2022; February 2022 and November 2021 Rapid Transit Updates and Upcoming milestones presented to DMCC. 

October 2020 Series of DMC Webinars - 5 Year Updates

Co-designers will be Rochester residents with strong connections to their communities and local knowledge of their neighborhood and the Rapid Transit Project area. 

Status reports and documentations presented to DMCC.

1st year status

Frustration was raised about the lack of transportation stake-in-the-ground at the May 26, 2016 DMC Board meeting. In project management 101 parlance, there is a lack of a work-break-down-structure of the overall DMC development plan.

DMCC has approved a funding $500,000 per year to contract a transit planner to spearhead transit studies

May 2025 City Council Updates

May 2024 Online Survey for Community Inputs and Asian Community Inputs Outreach

Press Release: The City of Rochester is beginning its 2026-2027 budget process and invites residents to learn more about the factors shaping the City’s financial outlook.

DMC Updates 

Feb 2025 DMCC Board Meeting Memo

PB reporting re Jan 6 City Council Meeting

"A final plan for dividing a 14.1-acre Mayo Clinic parking lot into developable sections is expected to be reviewed Monday by the Rochester City Council. The site, being dubbed “West Transit Village,” sits between Second Street Southwest and Cascade Lake. It is currently used as a Mayo Clinic employee shuttle lot, and Mayo Clinic plans to construct a 2,500-stall parking structure."

September 2024 DMCC Board Meeting with 2025 Workplan Breakout

May 2024 DMCC Board Meeting and City, County, DMC Joint Meeting

Feb 2024 DMCC Board Meeting

Results Based Accountability

Collective Impact: Spectrum of working together

Tech Support

City teammates providing an update on this work, specifically regarding legacy public infrastructure projects, Unbound, infrastructure investments and regulatory milestones.  

2024 - 2027 Transportation Plan 

2023 - 2026 Transportation Plan: The Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments (ROCOG) has released a draft of the 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), for a 30-day public comment period. 

August 2024 Report : Age-Friendly Olmsted County (AFOC) activities implementing the Age

Friendly Olmsted County 2022-2025 Action Plan since our annual report in February 2024.

November DMCC Meeting Info 

September DMCC Meeting Info

May DMCC Meeting Info 

2. Meeting Package,

3. Meeting Slides,

4. Video Recording 

5. Breakouts