Construction on North Broadway Park & Ride Facility Begins

May 15, 2026 - ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA – The City of Rochester will begin construction on a new 200-space park-and-ride facility located on the northeast corner of the Rochester Recreation Center property. Construction begins May 18 with substantial completion expected in December 2026. Park-and-ride operations are anticipated to begin in early spring 2027.

The project will deliver a new concrete parking structure designed to support improved transit access and service. Key features include a transit stop accommodating two buses, a sheltered passenger waiting area and facilities for drivers.

Additional site improvements will include onsite stormwater management, concrete paving for drive lanes, reconfigured surface parking, turf and landscape enhancements, and relocation of the Broadway Avenue entry point.

To prepare the site, crews will demolish an existing one-story masonry storage building and remove a retaining wall on the north boundary of the property. All construction traffic will utilize access from North Broadway Avenue.

Impacts Beginning May 18:

• Public access to the Rochester Recreation Center and 125 LIVE will be from Elton Hills Drive, only
• Construction vehicles will enter the project site from North Broadway.
• The northeast corner of the parking lot will be closed for construction and staging.

Project Location
The new structure will be situated at the northeast portion of the Rochester Recreation Center campus.  The design leverages existing site grading to reduce construction costs and minimize disruption to the broader recreation campus. The facility will provide approximately 202 structured spaces, resulting in a net addition of 140 parking spaces for the site. The existing surface lot is planned to receive an asphalt overlay as part of the overall project.

Final bus routes serving the new park-and-ride are currently being developed and will be implemented when operations begin.

Funding
The project is supported by multiple funding sources, including a Federal Transit Authority (FTA) Bus and Facilities grant and a U.S. Department of Transportation grant.