Lowry Avenue corridor improvement

County Road 153 in Northeast Minneapolis

Hennepin County, in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Metro Transit and the six Lowry Avenue Northeast corridor neighborhoods, plans to reconstruct Lowry Avenue (County Road 153) between Marshall Street (County Road 23) and Johnson Street in Northeast Minneapolis.

Engagement activities began in summer 2021 and continued through 2022. Project leaders continue to work on designs and are seeking input.

Construction on Phase I, between Washington and Johnson streets, is anticipated to begin in 2024 and be completed in late 2025.

Phase II between Marshall and Washington streets is funded separately and is earlier in its design phase. Construction could begin as soon as 2025.

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Project status and updates

As Hennepin County develops roadway designs for Lowry Avenue, the goal is to make the corridor safer, welcoming and overall, more livable to all users by adding features that make it more comfortable for people walking, biking and rolling while also enhancing the streetscape to support a vibrant small business corridor.

We have finished gathering feedback for Phase 1 of the project. We have developed the designs for the project. Our next step will be to provide updates on the construction of Phase 1.

Phase 1 Project layout (PDF)

We will also be sharing more about upcoming engagement opportunities on Phase 2.

Community involvement

Previous engagement events

The county’s initial engagement efforts ran through 2021 and 2022 to gather input from residents, business owners and patrons, community members, students, transit users, and visitors to determine a layout that would best work for the corridor.

Virtual public workshop: May 11, 2022

Virtual public workshop: December 9, 2021

Community meetings and events

2022

Audubon Farmers Market
Fulton Grand Fondo
Recovery Bike Shop End of 30 Days of Biking Celebration

October 2021

Minnehaha Open Streets
Lyndale Open Streets
NE Farmers Market
Eastside Co-op Annual Event
Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association Lowry Avenue NE Task Force meeting

September 2021

Fulton Gran Fondo + Art Crank
Audubon Farmers Market
Windom Park Citizens in Action Meeting
Logan Park Neighborhood Association General Meeting
Bottineau Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
West Broadway Open Streets

Related projects

METRO F Line bus rapid transit (Metro Transit)

The METRO F Line will serve the Central Avenue corridor, largely replacing Route 10 from downtown Minneapolis to Northtown Mall via Central and University avenues.

Sign up for F Line project emails to be notified as the project progresses.

Learn more about the Central Avenue Metro F Line.

Johnson Street NE reconstruction (City of Minneapolis)

The City of Minneapolis reconstructed Johnson Street NE between18th and Lowry avenues Northeast to include pedestrian, bicycle and infrastructure improvements. This project was completed in 2021.

Learn more about the City of Minneapolis' Johnson Street NE reconstruction.

Frequently asked questions

What was the recommended design from the 2014 Lowry Avenue plan process?

Reconstruction of Lowry Avenue between Marshall Street and Central Avenue with wider sidewalks, wider boulevards and three travel lanes.

Reconstruction of Lowry Avenue between Central Avenue and Stinson Boulevard with wider sidewalks, wider boulevards, two travel lanes and two east- and west-bound bicycle lanes on either side of the street.

How is this process different from the previous process and study conducted in 2014?

Local policies and plans have been updated and refined since the plan was adopted, including the Hennepin County Climate Action Plan (2021), City of Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan (2018), the City of Minneapolis Transportation Action Plan (2020), and the City of Minneapolis Street Design Guidelines (2021). The existing corridor designs will be updated during this design phase in 2021 through 2022 to align with these newer plans.

Additionally, funding for the construction project was allocated in the Hennepin County five-year 2021 Capital Budget and 2021–2025 Capital Improvement Program, which will fund the specific engineering studies needed to finalize the design and detailed engineering plans before reconstruction begins in 2024 through 2025.

What are the possible design changes under consideration for the reconstruction?

Phase 1: Municipal layout approval was received from the City of Minneapolis in July 2022 and detail design is advancing toward final plans for construction in 2024.

Phase 2: Preliminary design work is still underway using feedback from the public engagement efforts in 2021 and 2022 and building from the Phase 1 layout to include a shared use path, streetscape improvements oriented towards people walking and rolling, transit users and for businesses.

When will reconstruction happen?

Phase 1: Lowry Avenue between Washington and Johnson streets NE is scheduled to begin construction in 2024 and be complete at the end of 2025.

Phase 2: Lowry between Marshall and Washington streets is funded separately and is earlier in its design phase. Construction could begin as soon as 2025 but is contingent on the completion of Phase 1.

How can I get involved or learn more about the project?

There are several ways to get involved with the project and stay up to date. Please use the “subscribe” button to receive monthly newsletter and public meeting notices.

Opportunities for virtual and in-field engagement activities will be regularly posted under the “Community involvement” section of this website, as well as cross posted to Hennepin County’s social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter.

Project team

Hennepin County

Kelly Agosto, P.E.
Project manager (design)
kelly.agosto@hennepin.us

City of Minneapolis

Bill Fellows
Project manager
bill.fellows @minneapolismn.gov
612-673-3000

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