Minneapolis City Council OKs Hennepin Av. rebuild with 6-hour bus lanes

After four years of planning and heated discussions as leaders sought to balance the needs of drivers with those of transit users, the Minneapolis City Council on Thursday approved the final layout to rebuild Hennepin Avenue through the Uptown area.

On an 11-2 vote, the measure calling for dedicated transit lanes to operate a minimum of six hours a day now heads to Mayor Jacob Frey's desk. He is expected to sign off on the project, which is set to begin construction in 2024.

"The big story here is that we worked together to get an awesome layout approved and on track," Frey said. "This good faith collaboration resulted in a data-driven analysis and a big win for our city."

The first major reconstruction in 65 years of Hennepin between Lake Street and just north of Franklin Avenue will also reduce vehicular travel to one lane in each direction and add left turn lanes at key intersections, a two-way protected bikeway, wider sidewalks and some parking bays.

Bus lanes were to operate 24 hours a day under the original plan, but in June Frey vetoed that idea, saying it would hurt businesses that rely on on-street parking. The mayor and council members met several times to strike a compromise leading to Thursday's vote.

"It is not perfect. It is not the outcome I wanted," said Council Member Aisha Chughtai, who voted in favor of the final design, said she will continue to advocate for all-day bus lanes. "I am excited we have some resolution on it."

Council Member Andrew Johnson, who chairs the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, said he would have liked to seen additional hours now, but voted in favor of the "very significant and overdue project" to get it across the finish line.

Not everyone was on board. Council Member Robin Wonsley said the change to part-time bus lanes disenfranchises transit-dependent riders and residents.

"What is in front of us is not a compromise. It is the result of personal politics in deference to the status quo," she said before voting no. "This was an unnecessary fight to begin with."

Council Member Lisa Goodman also voted no.

Metro Transit, which is planning a new bus rapid transit line on Hennepin Avenue that will connect the University of Minnesota with downtown Minneapolis and the Southdale Transit Center in Edina, has previously said bus lanes will be critical to the line's success.

The exact hours that bus lanes will be in effect have not been set. The city has said hours could be expanded, but not for at least two years after the completion of construction in 2026.