The selected alignment was initially planned to run adjacent to a BNSF freight line, but opposition from the company has forced the project to be redesigned with a new routing.

Alternative B began in Brooklyn Park near Target North Corporate Campus and ran south along West Broadway to the BNSF railroad tracks.

Stations would be located at Theodore Wirth Park, Golden Valley Road, Penn Avenue and Van White Boulevard.

[7] The Northwest Corridor was proposed as a Tier I transitway, for rapid development, in the Metropolitan Council's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan published in 2004.

[9] Though this corridor was advanced by the Metropolitan Council for development as a busway, the success of the Blue Line and lobbying by Hennepin County commissioner Mike Opat forced the mode choice to be re-evaluated.

According to the legislation enacting the Counties Transit Improvement Board, in order for a project to receive CTIB funding, it must be part of the Metropolitan Council's long-term transit plan; new planning documents released April 11, 2008, by the Metropolitan Council indicate that the Bottineau Corridor was a strong prospect for LRT, with numbers supporting LRT development.

[12] In August 2014, the Metropolitan Council received federal approval to enter the design phase for the Bottineau LRT, with service expected to begin in 2021.

[16] On March 11, 2021, the Metropolitan Council and Hennepin County released revised potential route options for the proposed Blue Line Extension.

During this process, many residents expressed concerns with light rail trains running north on Lyndale Avenue, west of Interstate 94.

In August 2024, the Metropolitan Council began the process of municipal consent, where each city along the route makes comments and requests changes based on more advanced design documents.

The Federal Transit Administration required the Metropolitan Council to have approval from BNSF Railway before moving forward with the grant process and construction.

We are not," and "We’ve told Met Council repeatedly for the past several years and as recently as this spring that we are not proceeding with any discussion of passenger rail on our property in this corridor.

[36][22] In North Minneapolis, certain parcels of land need to be acquired by the Metropolitan Council for light rail construction, but because the route was not yet solidified, some criticized the project for the uncertainty around property they owned or leased.

[37] Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council created an Anti-Displacement Work Group in combination with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs to address displacement concerns, the result of which was a report published by the Metropolitan Council and $10 million in funding allocated by the Minnesota State Legislature towards anti-displacement efforts.

Some Minneapolis Park Board members objected to the design of the Lowry Avenue station, stating that the at-grade crossing with light rail track and the Grand Rounds bike trail would create hazards for cyclists and pedestrians.