Driving downtown Minneapolis will soon be 2-way street

Hennepin and 1st Avenue, both one-way for years, will each allow traffic to go in both directions.

By JIM FOTI, Star Tribune

Last update: September 24, 2009 - 4:13 PM

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Minneapolis officials are holding meetings to explain the new configurations of Hennepin and 1st Avenues today and Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. at Minneapolis City Hall.

The city's website has abundant information about the conversion at www.ci.minneapolis .mn.us/hennepinfirst.

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Drivers who spend too much time gazing up at the bright lights of Hennepin Avenue may soon find themselves facing the headlights of an oncoming car.

After nearly 30 years as one-way streets, Hennepin and 1st Avenues in downtown Minneapolis are set to be converted to two-way traffic on Oct. 10. With unfamiliar features such as "bike boxes" painted on the pavement and new shared bus/bike/right-turn-only lanes, the whole corridor, from 12th Street to the river, is going to be one big "pay attention" zone.

The goal of the conversion, which cost roughly $3 million, is to allow downtown visitors to drive more directly to their destinations, said city spokesman Matt Lindstrom. The pavement was seal-coated, traffic signals were added, and the streets will get new road paint and signs starting early on the day of the conversion, which could change if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Extra traffic control officers will be on hand on that first Saturday night -- prime bar-hopping time in the Warehouse District -- as well as during the first Monday-morning commute, Lindstrom said.

Drivers and bicyclists might need the help.

The three through lanes heading northeast on Hennepin will be gone, replaced with one through lane in each direction, designated left turn lanes, and combined bike-bus-right-turn lanes.

On 1st Avenue, bike lanes are being created along the curbs, with off-peak parking allowed next to the bike lane -- six feet from the curb. The idea is that parked cars will serve as a buffer between moving traffic and the bike lane.

"Bike boxes," meanwhile, will be painted at intersections. These boxes will require cars to stay back from crosswalks about 10 feet to give left-turning bicycles a place to wait in front of motor-vehicle traffic.

While understanding the city's goals, some businesses along 1st Avenue are worried that congestion and confusion will actually increase, said Joanne Kaufman, executive director of the Warehouse District Business Association. The loss of on-street parking on 1st Avenue during happy hour is also a concern, she said.

"There are a lot of people who are very apprehensive about how this is going to impact our neighborhood," she said. "It will be very interesting to see how the first week goes, the first couple weeks, the first couple months."

Jim Foti • 612-673-4491