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Portland Avenue bicycle and pedestrian link

County Road 35 in Minneapolis and Richfield

Hennepin County, in coordination with City of Minneapolis, City of Richfield, Minnesota Department of Transportation and Metro Transit, is preparing to reconfigure a segment of Portland Avenue between 60th and 67th streets.

Construction activities began in May.

Project timeline showing planning and design phases are completed. Construction and project completion are expected for 2021.

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Park Avenue to close at Portland Avenue starting Tuesday, July 27 

Starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 27, county crews will close Park Avenue at Portland Avenue in Minneapolis.  

This closure is necessary to replace concrete pavement as part of the Portland Avenue bicycle and pedestrian link project.  

We anticipate the work will be complete by Thursday morning, July 29, barring any delays. 

Access and impacts 

Park Avenue will be accessible using 61st Street. Portland Avenue will remain open. 

Anticipate additional closures later this year

We have additional closures planned on Portland Avenue later this year, two weekend closures of the intersection of Portland Avenue and 60th Street, along with a three-week closure of the Highway 62 (Crosstown) ramps. Otherwise, Portland Avenue will remain open to traffic during the duration of the project.

We will inform people of the closures ahead of time with email updates, the project website and signage on Portland Avenue.

Concrete work began June 11

On Friday, June 11, work began along northbound Portland Avenue (County Road 35) at the 64th Street intersection.

For the next three weeks, crews will replace concrete curbs and sidewalks, install new streetlight systems and construct new pedestrian ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Portland Avenue is among the county’s most biked corridors. It connects downtown Minneapolis and north with the Interstate 494 employment corridor, Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and southeast Hennepin County.

The project will complete a critical bicycle transportation link on Portland Avenue. It will install bikeways, improve facilities for pedestrians and convert a portion of the road from four to three lanes.

Key features of the project

For people walking and needing accessibility features

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps and sidewalk
  • Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS)
  • Durable crosswalk markings
  • Countdown timers

For people on bikes

  • New dedicated trail
  • On-street bike lanes

For people using transit

For people who live and work along the corridor

  • Retain portion of parking in Minneapolis
  • Improve access for all people going to local businesses

Safety improvements and updates for all users

  • Additional dedicated turn lanes
  • New traffic signal mast arms
  • Revised locations for traffic signals based on usage data and safety needs

Next steps

  • Minneapolis and Richfield city council approvals of project concept in March 2019
  • Final design 2019 - 2020
  • Construction between March and October 2021

Previous events

City of Richfield public meetings

  • Transportation Commission meeting
    Held Wednesday, February 6, 2019
  • City Council work session
    Held Monday, February 11, 2019
  • City Council meeting
    Held Tuesday, February 26, 2019

City of Minneapolis public meeting

Design outreach event

Hennepin County and the cities of Richfield and Minneapolis held an outreach event in August 2018 about the upcoming project on Portland Avenue (County Road 35) between 60th Street and 66th Street (County Road 53).

Portland Avenue bike gap report (PDF)

Project information sheet (PDF)

Four to three lane conversion information (PDF)

The acquisition of privately-owned real property is sometimes necessary when making improvements to county roads. The document below provides information to those whose land must be either partially acquired or acquired in its entirety by Hennepin County. This document is shared directly with these individuals. It is provided here as a resource for anyone who may have misplaced the document.

Any questions can be directed to:

Hennepin County Public Works
Land Acquisition Group
1600 Prairie Drive
Medina, MN 55340-5421
612-596-0324

Hennepin County

City of Minneapolis

City of Richfield

Metro Transit

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