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Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Biking

The county strives to make riding a bicycle as transportation, recreation and health a comfortable, fun, routine part of daily life for people of all ages and abilities.

We envision a future where residents are healthy and successful, living in safe and vibrant communities. A robust on- and off-street bikeway system that serves all ages and abilities and complements other transportation modes and land use will play a significant role in achieving this vision, while promoting economic strength, enhancing quality of life, and sustaining community vitality.

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Biking accounts for 2.5 percent of all trips in Hennepin County, more than double the national average. Ridership is increasing rapidly while driving nationwide has been steadily decreasing since 2007.

Desired outcomes

Anticipating those trends will continue, we are committed to creating a biking environment that meets the needs of all residents those who bike now, and those who will bike in the future. We believe a good bikeway system will deliver the following benefits:

Safety

Decreasing the risk of crashes by reducing gaps and adding more separation from motor vehicles through more interconnected network

Livability

Increasing transportation options and improving access to jobs, schools and services

Mobility

Increasing mobility for people of all ages to reach more destinations

Economic sustainability

Reducing the cost of transportation for everyone, including the one-third of people who do not drive

Health

Providing an opportunity for residents to make physical activity a routine part of daily life

Clean air

Improving air quality and reducing emissions of harmful pollutants

Recreation

Serving the strong desire for metro area residents — especially among older residents — to have biking as a recreational activity

Parking and congestion

Alleviating congestion on roads

Regional economic competitiveness

Attracting and keeping residents who seek to live, work and play in a vibrant community that embraces their values

These projects and studies include biking and walking features and improvements.

Current projects

Bottineau Boulevard (County Road 81) in Brooklyn Park

This future reconstruction project will add shared paths for biking and walking between West Broadway and 83rd avenues and extends the Crystal Lake Regional Trail.
Learn more about the Bottineau Boulevard project.

Brooklyn Boulevard (County Road 152) in Brooklyn Center

This reconstruction project adds a multi-use trail along Brooklyn Boulevard from 49th Avenue North to Bass Lake Road (County Road 10) in Brooklyn Center.

Webber 44 (County Road 152) in Minneapolis

This reconstruction project will add a new dedicated bicycle facility, improve wayfinding, accessible pedestrian ramps, durable crosswalk markings, and countdown timers. Streetscaping elements and transit improvements will also be included as part of this project.
Learn more about the Webber project.

Future projects

Bass Lake Road (County Road 10) in Brooklyn Center and Crystal

This repaving and restriping project will upgrade existing shoulders to dedicated bicycle lanes from Brooklyn Boulevard to Yates Avenue N.

Hiawatha-Lake intersection (Highway 55 and County Road 3) in Minneapolis

This construction project includes short-term improvements such as bump-outs, median refuge islands, shortened crossings, high visibility crosswalk markings, and wider sidewalks.
Learn more about Hiawatha-Lake project.

Lake Street (County Road 3) Connections in Minneapolis

This future reconstruction project will add wider sidewalks, bump-outs at intersections and improves accessibility near I-35W.
Learn more about the Lake Street project.

Nicollet Avenue (County Road 52) in Richfield

This repaving and restriping project will add bike lanes on Nicollet Avenue between 68th Street and 61st Street in Richfield. A pedestrian refuge median will be constructed at 63rd Street.

Osseo Road (County Road 152) in Minneapolis

This reconstruction project will improve roadway and intersection safety and improve comfort for all people traveling through the corridor. Streetscaping elements, transit improvements, and a new multi-use trail will be included as part of this project.
Learn more about Osseo Road.

Marshall Street NE (County Road 23) in Minneapolis

This project includes a mill and overlay to preserve the life of the pavement as well as pedestrian curb ramp upgrades and a dedicated bicycle facility between 37th Avenue NE and Lowry Avenue. This project is scheduled for 2023.
Learn more about the Marshall Street NE project.

University and Fourth (County roads 36 and 37) roadway improvements in Minneapolis

The goal of this project is to improve bicycle facilities, transit facilities, and pedestrian curb ramps on University Avenue and Fourth Street to help make the roadway safer for all users between I-35W and Oak Street in Minneapolis. Construction is expected to begin in 2022.
Learn more about University and Fourth roadway improvements.

Hennepin and First (County Road 52) roadway improvements in Minneapolis

This project will improve multi-modal access, comfort and safety to University Avenue and First Street between Main Street and 8th Street in Minneapolis.
Learn more about Hennepin and First roadway improvements.

Recently completed projects

East Hennepin Avenue (County Road 52) in Minneapolis

This repaving and restriping project will add bike lanes on East Hennepin Avenue between 8th Street Southeast and Johnson Street. In addition, the City of Minneapolis will be adding improvements to enhance the crossing at 5th Avenue and add off-street bicycle connections between 5th Avenue and Pierce Street NE to facilitate better access to the Presidents Bike Boulevard.
Learn more about the East Hennepin (Minneapolis) project.

Golden Valley Road (County Road 66) in Minneapolis

This repaving and restriping project will add bike lanes on Golden Valley Road between Xerxes and Girard avenues in 2020.
Learn more about the Golden Valley Road project.

Glenwood Avenue (County Road 40) in Golden Valley and Minneapolis

Two projects are planned for Glenwood Avenue. The first is a repaving project along Glenwood Avenue from Highway 100 to Thomas Avenue that is scheduled for 2020. As part of this project, staff will evaluate short and long-term improvements for walking and biking.
Learn more about the Glenwood (Golden Valley) project.

The second is a reconstruction project that will improve biking and walking connections to transit at the future Royalston Station
Learn more about the Glenwood (Minneapolis) project.

Flying Cloud Drive (County Road 61) in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie

This reconstruction project adds a multi-use trail along the north side of the road that will fill the trail gap from Shakopee to Eden Prairie.

Completed studies

Franklin Avenue corridor study

Hennepin County, in coordination with the City of Minneapolis, is conducting a feasibility study to evaluate ways to improve safety, accessibility and comfort for all road users along Franklin avenue (County Road 5) from Lyndale Avenue (County Road 22) to Bloomington Avenue in Minneapolis.
Learn more about the Franklin Avenue corridor study.

Hiawatha-Lake Interchange Study

Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis have started Phase 2 of the Hi-Lake Intersection Study. The city and county will work with the community for input on the intersection configuration as well as develop a plan for the implementation of interim improvements to better serve people walking and biking.

Mill Street trail study

Hennepin County is leading a study for an off-street multi-use trail facility along Mill Street from Holly Lane in Shorewood to 2nd Street in downtown Excelsior. The goal is to determine the feasibility of adding a trail along the corridor to make Mill Street safer and more comfortable for all people using the corridor.
Learn more about the Mill Street trail study.

East 46th Street Study

Hennepin County worked with the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and other stakeholders and studied options to make East 46th Street (County Road 46) between Hiawatha Avenue and the Ford Parkway Bridge safer and more comfortable for people walking, biking, taking transit and driving. The purpose of the study considered different design options to improve mobility and safety for all users and identify preferred configurations that could be implemented as part of a 2019 repaving project.
Learn more about the East 46th Street Study.

Marshall Street Northeast Study

Marshall Street Northeast (County Road 23) is reaching the end of its pavement life. There will be an opportunity to improve the design of the roadway to better serve all users during expected reconstruction. The county and City of Minneapolis worked with northeast Minneapolis communities to study options for making Marshall Street Northeast from 10th Avenue Northeast to St. Anthony Parkway safer and more comfortable for people walking, biking, taking transit and driving.

University Avenue/4th Street SE (County roads 36 and 37) in Minneapolis

This collaborative project with MnDOT and the City of Minneapolis upgraded bike lanes by adding a buffer to the bike lane.
Learn more about the University Avenue project.

Vehicle passing distance

University of Minnesota graduate students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs partnered with Hennepin County to complete a vehicle passing distance study. This study investigated the average passing distance and the rate of encroachment for motor vehicles overtaking people biking at seven locations with different road classifications and configurations of travel lanes, parking facilities and bicycle facilities.
Learn more about vehicle passing distance (PDF).

2040 Hennepin County Bicycle Transportation Plan

The 2040 bicycle transportation plan lays out a vision that emphasizes ways to make bicycling safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The plan guides how, where and when the county and the parks district will build bikeways, and outlines an integrated system that will be developed through 2040.

The county and Three Rivers Park District worked together to gather input from the community, cities and other stakeholders starting in June 2013. The public comment period on the latest draft of the plan closed December 5, 2014. The county board adopted the plan in April 2015.

Other resources

Southwest LRT bicycle study

Enhanced bikeway network study (2018)

Bikeways that are protected or separated from motor vehicle traffic offer a higher level of comfort for people biking. These types of enhanced bikeways make it easier for more people of all ages and abilities to bike as part of their everyday lives, whether it be for transportation, recreation or physical activity.

Hennepin County staff recently completed an enhanced bikeway network study to:

  • Review county roadways to determine suitability for enhanced bicycle infrastructure
  • Evaluate estimated construction and maintenance costs and assess changes to the county's cost participation policy
  • Identify a list of roadways potentially suitable for enhanced bikeways

The initial findings of the study were presented to the Board of Commissioners in a public briefing on August 9, 2018.

Enhanced bikeways briefing – presentation (PDF)

Enhanced bikeways briefing – handout (PDF)

Pedestrian and bicycle progress report (2019)

The accomplishments highlighted in this report are thanks to the collaboration and dedication of numerous departments across Hennepin County Public Works, partner agencies, advocates, and beyond.

2019 pedestrian and bicycle progress report (PDF)

Bike counts reports and resources

The primary focus of the bike counting program is to track and report biking volume information along Hennepin County roadways, including trails adjacent to county roads.

Interactive multi modal counts map

2020 bike counts compared to previous years: northern Hennepin County (PDF)

2017 bike count report: southern Hennepin County (PDF)

2016 bike count report: northern Hennepin County (PDF)

2015 bike count report: southern Hennepin County (PDF)

References

Automated bike count methodology (PDF)

Manual bike count methodology (PDF)

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