Utility Work To Impact Hennepin Avenue Travel
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Beginning Monday, traffic on Hennepin Avenue will be reduced to one lane between 7th and 12th streets in downtown Minneapolis due to utility work.
The utility work is part of the Hennepin Downtown Reconstruction Project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Hennepin bus routes will also be detoured to Nicollet Mall beginning Monday, April 15, for the duration of the project.
The project will be similar to the one on Nicollet Mall that took several years, according to Minneapolis Downtown Council president Steve Cramer. Hennepin Avenue will be reconstructed from Washington Avenue South to 12th Street.
RELATED: Major Facelift In Store For Hennepin Avenue In Downtown Minneapolis
According to a news release from the City of Minneapolis, the downtown section of Hennepin Avenue was last rebuilt in 1986. The pavement is worn out and needs to be replaced, and updates to aging infrastructure, such as the 1880s-era sanitary sewer system, will be made.
The reconstruction project will include wider sidewalks, one-way protected bikeways in both directions, enhanced transit stops and four vehicle lanes with Hennepin remaining a two-way street.
WCCO-TV is told the Pride and Aquatennial parades will still happen, but the city hasn't yet decided on an alternate route.
