ANOKA COUNTY, Minn. (Oct. 31, 2013) — Anoka County announced recently that Metro Transit will run a new Highway 65 express bus for a three year demonstration project beginning in August 2014. The morning and evening rush hour service will begin its route in northern East Bethel, and make stops in Ham Lake and Blaine on its way to downtown Minneapolis.
The agreement approved by the Anoka County Board will have the Metropolitan Council buy seven coach-style buses that will be used in the project. East Bethel and Ham Lake will use existing parking lots for their par and rides, and Blaine will have a new lot built at the corner of Paul Parkway and Ulysses Street, just off of Highway 65.
The total cost of the project is $8.2 million, and the county has received a federal grant which will pay for nearly 80 percent of the project. County officials said that while Metro Transit will run the system, the county will be working with the bus company to track ridership trends.
