Driving in Twin Cities metro neighborhoods is about to get easier.
Minneapolis will lift its winter parking restrictions beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, more than a week earlier than planned.
Following St. Paul, which removed its one-sided parking restriction on Thursday, Minneapolis city spokeswoman Sarah McKenzie said warm weather has melted snow over the past few weeks, returning the roads to normal conditions.
Both cities implemented temporary parking rules earlier this year, after a harsh winter and several heavy storms created narrow roads in neighborhood areas that made it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through.
The 2018-19 winter has been among the most severe in recent history, with deep cold and record-breaking snow accumulation that closed schools across the metro and led to six snow emergencies in Minneapolis.
When Minneapolis announced the restrictions at the end of last month, it had planned to keep them in effect through April 1.
ANDY MANNIX
