Projects Posts

From welcoming a new Executive Director to celebrating our 10th anniversary, 2019 has been a huge year for us. At Our Streets Minneapolis we are grateful for your continued support as we work for a city where biking, walking, and rolling are easy and comfortable for everyone. With only six staff this year, we depended on our local community to make this all happen. Thank you for working toward our shared vision of a city that puts people first!

Join us as we look back on all we accomplished together this year and look ahead to what we have planned for 2020. Plus, be sure to read to the end of this post for an update on our financial situation.

We kicked off our November meeting with a presentation from Kelsey Fogt, a Minneapolis Transportation Planner. Kelsey provided an overview of the upcoming protected bikeways project on 1st Ave S, Grant St and 2nd Ave S. The group was particularly enthusiastic about the elevated bikeway portion that will go behind a floating bus stop. We hope to welcome more Public Works representatives to future meetings!

As Our Streets Minneapolis turns ten, we’re looking back on the changes we’ve seen in our public spaces and our streets since the organization began. None of the many improvements and innovations could have happened without visionary community leaders and volunteers, political leaders willing to take risks, and dedicated public agency staff. Here are ten of our favorite improvements, from massive public works projects to smaller changes that made walking, biking, and rolling better in our city.

Location: 29th Avenue at Midtown Greenway

	Photo by Joshua Houdek

City plans designate 29th Avenue as both a bicycle boulevard and a safe route for Seward students biking or walking to school. Traffic counts taken during the trial closure showed a reduction in traffic around the greenway as well as a few blocks away near the school, transportation planner Forrest Hardy told the committee.

The permanent closure involves installing low barriers both north and south of the greenway, with enough space on either side for bicycles to pass through. The barriers would be low enough to the ground that emergency vehicles could cross over them.

Location: St. Anthony Parkway South to 10th Ave NE

Marshall St NE has been identified by the four adjoining neighborhood groups, Marshall Terrace, Bottineau, Sheridan, and St. Anthony West as a corridor that needs bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

County maintenance staff have identified that pavement on Marshall will need to be replaced in 3-5 years. The maintenance costs for this corridor are high because of the crumbling (literally) infrastructure, so reconstruction should happen sooner rather than later.

Location: Hennepin Ave to 5th Ave Downtown

Hennepin County will finish its reconstruction of Washington Avenue from Hennepin Ave to 5th Ave in downtown Minneapolis in 2017.

Additionally, the County will re-stripe the lanes on Washington Avenue from 5th Ave to I-35W. This re striping will reduce the outlined portion of Washington from three lanes to two, leaving room for full-time parking and bikeway. It is a fantastic opportunity to extend the protected bikeway on the reconstructed segment almost to the University of Minnesota.

Location: 3rd Ave South from 1st St S to 16th St E

The first-ever Minneapolis planter protected bikeway may be installed next year on 3rd Avenue S Downtown! It's part of a broader plan to redesign 3rd Avenue as a greener, safer connection for biking and walking connecting the Convention Center (and points south) with the River (and points NE).

Location: Hennepin Ave from Washington Ave to 12th St N

The City is looking to rebuild Hennepin Avenue in the heart of downtown in 2020. They will be starting community engagement about what that will look like very soon.

Discussions will certainly include the potential for a protected bikeway (which would be coupled with taking out the one on 1st Avenue). We are interested in how we can support a truly great Hennepin.

Location: Irving, Humboldt from Shingle Creek to Bassett Creek

There is a robust community engagement process around a potential street to greenway concept in North Minneapolis, directed by the North Minneapolis Greenway Council.

Location: 10th, 11th, or 12th Ave from Downtown to Richfield

The Southside Greenway project is looking into community support for a safe and inviting route which would connect 12 parks in Downtown and South Minneapolis, using the concept of a "greenway," where cars are not the number one priority. The concept of a "full greenway" converts a residential street to a neighborhood park. This project is in the early planning and surveying stage, and an exact route has not yet been selected by the community.

• Southside Greenway Exploratory Committee Report 2015
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