Minneapolis council approves latest layout for 1.4-mile reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue

By KSTP

A bus lane is shown on Thursday, June 16, 2022, on Hennepin Avenue South in Minneapolis. (KSTP)

The Minneapolis City Council has approved a new layout for a project that will reconstruct part of Hennepin Avenue South.

The 1.4-mile stretch of the road between West Lake Street and Douglas Avenue will be redone to add a two-way bikeway, transit priority lanes, left turn lanes at certain intersections and safer areas for pedestrians, the council says.

The project has generated much discussion among city leaders, particularly regarding the bus lanes. The council initially approved a resolution that would’ve created 24-hour-per-day bus lanes on the road. However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed that item, saying he wouldn’t support 24-hour bus-only lanes when buses don’t run 24 hours per day.

The new resolution commits to bus lanes for a minimum of six hours between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Currently, the Hennepin bus lanes only run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. northbound and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. southbound on weekdays.

It also notes that a transition to bus-only lanes won’t start for at least two years after the project is completed.

Reconstruction also isn’t set to start until 2024, with the next two years being devoted to more detailed design and engineering, the city says.

However, once complete, the city says the plan advances its mode share goal to have 25% of trips taken by transit by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gases by 80% by 2050.

More information on the project is available online.