This week, the City Council transportation committee unanimously approved moving forward with a concept for Hennepin Avenue in downtown that includes protected bike lanes! Construction would be in 2020 and 2021. Here's the details.
The City Council is expected to next week finalize approval of applying for federal funding to reconstruct Hennepin Avenue between Washington Avenue and 12th Street. The concept for the street will include adding protected bike lanes.
The City will know later this year whether they receive the funding (it is likely given the importance of Hennepin Avenue). If they get the funding, they will move into community engagement around important design details starting in 2017.
The design details do matter a lot for Hennepin--for everyone (our thoughts on some of those). We very much look forward to working on those details, but in the meantime this is another great step forward for making downtown a bike-friendly place! Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible! A special shout out to Simon Blenski, Minneapolis transportation planner, who worked very hard on this project.
There is more info in the City staff presentation on Tuesday.
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Thanks for the comment. The City and County have a plan to extend protected bike lanes on Hennepin Ave to at least 5th Street NE—potentially as soon as 2018. Our Downtown Bikeways Committee is working on that as a priority. Come join us if you are interested! Our next meeting is next Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 6pm at our office (1428 Washington Ave S #204).