The 2024 State Fair starts Aug. 22. That can only mean one thing for transit fanatics: special State Fair bus service! Unfortunately, the express bus from Dunwoody and the dedicated local 960 haven’t run since 2019. The best way for people in the Southwest Connector readership area to go to the Fair by bus is to go downtown and transfer to either Route 3 on Washington Ave. or Route 61 on Hennepin Ave. Route 3 is more frequent and goes closer to the main gate. You can also take advantage of dedicated free shuttles from parking lots, mostly in the Saint Paul area. Several areas offer Fair express buses for your suburban friends. Please go to https://www.metrotransit.org for more details.
Of more lasting importance, though, are the schedule changes which began Aug. 17, 2024. The ones that affect the Southwest Connector readership area the most are:
• The Orange Line (I-35W between downtown Minneapolis and Burnsville) now runs every 10 minutes instead of every 15 minutes between 7:30 and 8 a.m. northbound and between 4 and 4:30 p.m. southbound on weekdays. It will also run every 15 minutes instead of every half hour between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays.
• Route 4 (Lyndale and Penn Aves. S.) becomes a Better Bus Route (capitalized because that is the actual name of the program). Stops will be about once every two blocks instead of every block, to increase speed. Some stops are being moved to after the intersection, rather than before, to avoid buses being stuck at red lights. Some no-parking zones at bus stops will be bigger so the bus can pull in closer to the curb. Concrete pads are being added to some stops to make them more accessible. There will be newer bus shelters where needed, and signal priority on Lyndale. Metro Transit has given similar treatments to Routes 2 and 17 in the last few years.
• School day-only trips are coming back to Routes 6, 11, 18, 21, and 46. Afternoon times are slightly different this year because school hours have changed.
Metro Transit can also be a good way to go to Twins games at Target Field and Minnesota United FC games at Allianz Field. The Blue and Green Lines both go to Target Field; the A Line and the Green Line go to Allianz Field.
You may notice colorful circles, dots, and spots at some bus shelters. No, a kindergarten art class didn’t just go wild at your local bus stop; these are part of a Metro Transit promotion. Just post a photo of one of these shelters, preferably with you in the photo, with the hashtag #SpotTheStop and you could win a Go To card containing $25 worth of ride value. Details are on the Metro Transit website. Hint: one of these shelters is at 32nd and Nicollet. Keep looking for them and happy hunting!
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