FROM HENNEPIN COUNTY
Hennepin County, in partnership with the City of Minneapolis, will be reconstructing Minnehaha Avenue from 46th Street to Lake Street. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2015 and finish in 2016, lasting through two construction seasons.
Improvements to Minnehaha Avenue are needed to address deteriorating pavement, utility and drainage concerns, as well as multi-modal safety and storm water conditions.
There will still be two lanes of traffic. Left turn lanes will be added at 31st, 32nd, 38th and 46th Streets and a southbound right turn lane at 42nd Street.
Pedestrian crossings will be shortened with bump outs at intersections, improving visibility and intersection sightlines. A median dedicated to pedestrians is proposed at the 27th Avenue intersection.
Intersections will be realigned to create 90 degree angles at 32nd and 33rd Streets, and 27th, 31st, 36th and 37th Avenues. This improves sightlines for motorists, reduces crossing distances for pedestrians, slows traffic and adds green space where intersection corners have been extended.
Enhanced, dedicated bicycle lanes, including a striped buffer zone and concrete pavement treatment, will improve comfort and safety for cyclists.
Pedestrian and street level lighting improvements will help make the corridor safer for all travelers.
There will be improvements to bus stops and pedestrian curb ramps to make them complaint with the American Disabilities Act.
Stormwater improvements will help mitigate water build-up during and after storms.
Due to extensive underground utility work, Hennepin County is planning to close the road in four block segments, maintaining access to residential and business driveways.
Construction and closure dates in 2015: From 46th St. to 42nd St., April to July 2015; From 42nd St. to 38th St., July to November 2015. Closure dates in 2016: From 38th St. to 34th St., April to July 2016; From 34th St. to Lake St., July to November 2016.
Hennepin County will cover approximately 80% of the project cost through its capital budget. Hennepin County will not be assessing residents for the project.
The City of Minneapolis’ practice is to assess residents and businesses for a portion of its share of the cost using its uniform assessment rate.
Council Member Andrew Johnson comments: “Minnehaha Avenue is overdue for reconstruction and it shows, so in that regard this is good for the community. However, construction is inevitably disruptive to residents, businesses and transit users. It also has secondary impacts, such as the potential to make congestion on Highway 55 worse as thousands of cars are rerouted there. Thus the big challenge is to minimize the impact and disruption as much as possible. To this end, I am working with city and county staff on planning, along with County Commissioner McLaughlin and Longfellow Community Council, looking at everything from business signage and marketing, to tweaking traffic signal timing on Highway 55. I’ll be visiting residents with concerns and helping address issues as each section is under construction.
“I ask each resident to make a deliberate effort to shop at Minnehaha Avenue businesses throughout construction, and to be considerate of the surrounding blocks which will face increased traffic. I appreciate everyone’s patience during these important improvements.”
