Project Scope

The City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County are partnering to improve the pedestrian space along Cedar Avenue in the West Bank neighborhood. Project elements include the following:

• Reconstruct sidewalks from 3rd Street S to 7th Street S – removing curbs on the west side of the street to expand sidewalk space
• Save the existing trees whenever possible, but plant new trees as needed
• Replace tree grates
• Install pedestrian lighting
• Reconfigure Cedar Avenue from a 4-lane to a 3-lane roadway

Property owner responsibility:

• Remove areaways that are in conflict with the project. Project staff will be in contact with property owners that have an areaway that is in conflict with the project scope.

Timeline

In 2010, the City of Minneapolis appiled for and was awarded a Transit Oriented Devlopment grant by Hennepin County with the intent to improve the pedestrian space along Cedar Avenue. The main goals of the project were to support businesses and pedestrians leading up to the opening of the Green Line West Bank light rail station by addressing the poor condition of the sidewalks.

The City Council approved matching funding for this grant in early 2012, which allowed for preliminary design to begin on the project. In the early stages of work on the design it was discovered that grades on the sidewalk and condition of the existing curb made it difficult to design a sidewalk that met current safety standards. At this time, County and City staff spent much of 2012 and early 2013 considering design solutions that would allow for a safe design for pedestrians.

The result of that work can be seen under “materials” below. The County and City are currently proposing to convert Cedar Avenue in this area from a 4-lane + one side parking configuration to a 3-lane + one side parking configuration (from approximately 3rd Street S to 7th Street S). This allows for the expansion of the sidewalks on the west side of Cedar Avenue to be approximately as wide as the sidewalks on the east side of the street. It also allows for a gentler grade on the sidewalk, which is required by safety standards.

The City of Minneapolis is hosting a meeting to share plans and gather input from the community on August 29th, 2013, from 4:00 – 6:00pm at the Brian Coyle Center (420 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55454).

Materials

Potential Roadway Cross-sections

Potential Layout

Issues that staff are looking for community feedback on:

• Should trees be in a planted grassy boulevard, or in tree grates with concrete between the grate areas?
• On the west side of the street is it more important to save the existing trees or have a larger contiguous walking space?
• Is there support for expanded sidewalks on the west side, including reconfiguration of the driving lanes?
• Additional comments on issues not highlighted by staff above are welcome!

Contact

Please submit feedback or questions to Chris Engelmann, P.E., Project Engineer or Joe Bernard, AICP, Senior City Planner.