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 related projects and corridor studies

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

Current projects

Culvert work along county trails

Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) will be lining culverts on a few of our corridors between September 3 and 13. These corridors include the Lake Minnetonka, Dakota Rail, and Minnesota River Bluffs regional trails, which are operated by Three Rivers Park District. This work is being coordinated with the park district and local watersheds. We expect that the impacts will be limited to when crews are on site at the various locations. Temporary closures are anticipated but should only be for a short duration. Signage providing detour routes will be at each site. We do not expect overnight closures.

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.

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.

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 with construction in 2024.
Learn more about Hennepin and First roadway improvements.

Future projects

Marshall Street NE (County Road 23) in Minneapolis

This project will reconstruct Marshall Street NE between 37th Avenue NE and Lowry Avenue. This project is scheduled for 2027.
Learn more about the Marshall Street NE project.

Lyndale Avenue (County Road 22) in Minneapolis

Hennepin County is working with partners to reconstruct Lyndale Avenue South (County Road 22) between Franklin Avenue (County Road 5) and 31st Street in South Minneapolis.
Learn more about the Lyndale project.

Recently completed projects

Portland Avenue (County Road 35) in Richfield and Minneapolis

Hennepin County and partners reconfigured a segment of Portland Avenue between 60th and 67th streets in Minneapolis and Richfield to include cycle track, buffered bike lanes and trail. Construction activities completed in 2021.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Webber 44 (County Road 152) in Minneapolis

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

Completed corridor 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 participated in 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 was 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.

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).

Bike maps

Explore Hennepin County's more than 800 miles of bikeways.

View maps online

Get a printed map

Pick one up at most Hennepin County Service Centers and Hennepin County libraries. Call ahead to confirm availability.

County investment in biking

Biking is one of the most efficient, cost-effective and low-impact ways to travel in Hennepin County. 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

Bike transportation planning

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

Biking reports and studies

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)

Additional resources

Learn how to bike

Traffic skills 101 – offered by Bike MN

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