Hennepin Reco. Update
From Ward 7 City Council Member Katie Cashman’s newsletter—subscribe here.
Hennepin Ave S Reconstruction Phase 1 Completion: We are celebrating the completion of the first phase of the Hennepin Avenue reconstruction project! Thank you to everyone who has remained flexible and patient throughout the year with the frequent shifts in traffic patterns and stages of work. We hope you’ll make your way to Uptown for your holiday shopping and throughout the winter to support our amazing small business owners and their teams.
The newly redesigned street includes infrastructure upgrades and space for future METRO E Line stations, improving the overall flow of traffic while promoting safer and more efficient transit. Key improvements include:
Replacement of 14 water lead service lines, 2,127 ft. of sanitary sewer
New signal and lighting systems
New electrical infrastructure installed by Xcel Energy
New gas main & service upgrades installed by CenterPoint Energy
What’s ahead:
Buses resumed their regular routes on Wednesday, November 27. Both northbound and southbound from Lake Street to 26th Street have new dynamic bus lanes in effect from 7-9 am and 2-6 pm Monday-Friday. Outside those windows, the lane is set aside for paid street parking.
The original bus lanes that use the parking lane on Hennepin Ave from 26th St to Franklin Ave have the following hours at this time:
Northbound from 25th St to Franklin Ave, 7:00-9:00 am Monday-Friday
Southbound from 25th St to 26th, 4:00-6:00 pm Monday-Friday
As part of the Hennepin Ave reconstruction, Public Works sited and installed/are installing new parking meters on 26th St and 27th St between Hennepin Ave & Humboldt Ave and Hennepin Ave & Girard Ave. 28th St in between Hennepin Ave and Girard Ave will also have 5 spaces for EV charging and 5 metered spaces added. The goal of this metered parking is to support businesses along Hennepin Ave. They will require payment 8am-6pm Monday-Friday, which is our standard timeframe throughout the city. Public Works determined after conducting a parking study that residential and commercial properties in the selected areas have sufficient dedicated, off-street parking.
Phase 2 begins in the spring, extending from W 26th St. north to Douglas Ave. Much of the work done in Phase 1 will continue, including safety enhancements, utility upgrades, storm water treatment, and more.
Beginning December 2025, the METRO E Line will bring faster and more reliable service to the Route 6 corridor, along with enhanced stations that include real-time signs, ticket machines, light, and heat.
The City’s Project team will build on the effective communication strategies from Phase 1 as well as strengthening outreach to corridor stakeholders as the next phase begins.
Read more about the project work completed, what’s ahead, and access the weekly virtual stakeholder meetings held each Friday morning.