The lengthy, indirect routing was seen as lowering the potential ridership of the Red Line.

Ultimately, the Burnsville Heart of the City station was built offline from I-35W but it serves as the terminus of the route and detours fewer customers than the Cedar Grove Transitation design.

[3] The platform layout bears a similarity to the 46th Street station on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis, which is about 11 miles north via the highway.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the $15 million station upgrade was held on April 28, 2016, which opened on May 20, 2017.

[4][5] Despite this upgrade, MVTA buses still exit and enter the freeway at Diffley Road to access the station.