The Marq2 transit corridor is a north–south thoroughfare in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It consists of the parallel streets of Marquette and Second avenues in the downtown area. Each public streetway has two contraflow bus lanes with two lanes available for general-purpose traffic in the opposite direction. Vehicular transit flows south on Marquette Avenue and north on Second Avenue. The inner curb lane allows buses to stop for riders, while the second bus-only lane allows buses to pass each other along the corridor. Bus routes that operate on the corridor stop at every other block at an assigned gate with each route assigned a northbound and southbound gate. Gates are assigned letters A, B, C, or D on Marquette Avenue and E, F, G, and H on Second Avenue. Custom bus shelters are installed at each stop with heaters and real time transit information. The corridor primarily serves express buses operated by all five public transit agencies in the Twin Cities.
Transit has existed in the corridor since 1879 with the opening of steam railways which were eventually replaced by streetcars, and then buses. After both streets were converted to one-way traffic, a contraflow bus lane was installed in the 1970s. Eventually the corridor's capacity became overwhelmed with the amount of buses so that operating conditions and speeds were severely impacted. The city of Minneapolis proposed consolidating express bus traffic in the city in the corridor and secured funding to reconstruct the streets in 2007. The redesign added an additional bus lane, increased space for pedestrians, and improved waiting amenities for customers. Upon opening in 2009, capacity for buses in the corridor was tripled, which allowed most express bus service in downtown Minneapolis to be consolidated onto the two streets. Operating speeds increased in the corridor, and some trips took 10 fewer minutes to travel out of downtown. The Metro Orange Line began using the corridor in 2021 when it began operation.
History
Marquette and Second avenues have been important to mass transit since its introduction to Minneapolis. In May 1879 the Lyndale Railway Company opened the Motor Line along First Avenue (now Marquette), running from First Street near Minneapolis Union Depot to 13th Street, where it continued south along Nicollet Avenue. By the mid-1880s the steam trams operating the line became a nuisance downtown, and the company, now Minneapolis, Lyndale & Minnetonka Railway, responded with several forms of experimental traction along First Avenue. The company collaborated with Charles Van Depoele for trains to be towed by an electric locomotive between Washington Avenue and Sixth Street. There were three tests: one in December 1885 and in January and February 1886, all of which proved to be unsatisfactory. The electric locomotive experienced intense vibrations and other mechanical problems, and current collection was unreliable. Van Depoele personally invested $25,000 () to perfect the system. The railway then adopted an experimental soda motor, where steam is generated by the addition of caustic soda to the boiler. These locomotives also proved to be unreliable. In 1887 Minneapolis passed an ordinance requiring the Motor Line to use cable or other source of power within city limits. Van Depoele's efforts had produced reliable electric traction, but the Minneapolis, Lyndale & Minnetonka Railway was suffering financially and could not adapt to the ordinance. This prompted the line to be leased to the Minneapolis Street Railway, later Twin Cities Rapid Transit, to operate the line and make the required improvements. First Avenue was electrified September 22, 1890, and the Motor Line was dissolved into First Avenue South streetcar lines.
Marquette and Second avenues became one-way streets in the 1950s. The first express buses to use Interstate 35W used Marquette and Second avenues while running through downtown in 1972. Contraflow bus lanes debuted on the corridor on September 29, 1974. Bus lanes were between 18 and 21 feet wide which is much wider than a standard 12 foot wide lane.
