There's still no date set for the opening of the Cedar Avenue busway, but Dakota County narrowed the launch time down to May or June last week.
Earlier this year, Commissioner Will Branning of Apple Valley, who has championed the bus-rapid transit (BRT) project from the beginning, had hoped it would open in November.
Now the buses are scheduled to arrive in November, and road improvements will be finished then. But the final two of five stations will not be ready until April. After that, driver training and technology testing can't be finished until May or June, officials said.
"We want to make sure all the pieces are in place so it can shine," said Michelle Fure of the Metropolitan Council.
Branning is wary of opening in June when people head for cabins. "We are in suburbia. Summertime in suburbia is not when they will ride buses," he said. "You don't want to launch BRT and have no one there."
The line will run from Bloomington to Lakeville.
