The Ramsey County Board became the fifth and final local government to endorse the proposed Riverview transit corridor — a modern streetcar connecting the downtown St. Paul Union Depot to the Mall of America in Bloomington, primarily along West Seventh Street.

“All the local units of government have approved it — (Hennepin County), St. Paul, Bloomington, the Metropolitan Airports Commission,” said Commissioner Rafael Ortega, noting the next step is to seek state and federal funding through the Metropolitan Council. “We’re right behind the Rush Line. … Our three lines on the East Side are all in different stages of planning, or actually construction with the Gold Line.”

The next stage will involve environmental review, design and engineering of the $1.4 billion – $2 billion line, which could begin construction as soon as 2028. Daily ridership is projected to reach 20,400 by the year 2040.

The streetcar line, which can operate in regular traffic or roll onto light rail track, would use existing Green Line light-rail infrastructure at the Union Depot and in downtown St. Paul, and use existing Blue Line infrastructure south of the Mississippi River beginning at Fort Snelling.