Construction on a new parking ramp at Maple Grove Transit's Parkway Transit Station begins today. That means the surface lot at 9870 Maple Grove Pkwy. near the Target store and Maple Grove Hospital will be closed until December, transit officials said.
Riders who use the lot to catch Route 785 buses will be directed to a temporary parking lot in the Grove retail center next to the Slumberland store at 15794 N. Grove Circle. The city of Maple Grove has installed a temporary bus stop at the center.
The project involves expanding the 501-stall surface park-and-ride lot into a ramp that will have 799 parking spots. The structure will be similar to one Maple Grove Transit has at its Arbor Lakes station near the AMC movie theater.
Mike Opatz, Maple Grove Transit administrator, said three factors came into play in deciding to build now. He said the current lot has been popular with riders, a temporary lot in the immediate area was available and money in the form of a grant from the Metropolitan Council and MnDOT became available.
A map of the current and temporary parking locations is available on the transit agency's web site.
