The City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit are continuing to solicit feedback on three options for rerouting buses from Nicollet Mall.
The City’s Public Works and Community Planning & Economic Development departments are hosting three public meetings on alternative bus routes: a virtual open house via Microsoft Teams on Jan. 21 from 12-1:30 p.m.; an evening open house on Jan. 22 from 4-6 p.m. at the Minneapolis Central Library; and a midday open house on Jan. 28 from 12-1:30 p.m. in IDS Center’s Crystal Court.
City staff have been working for two years on a plan to convert Nicollet Mall into a pedestrianized space in an effort to increase vibrancy and improve transit downtown.
“Moving transit off Nicollet Mall creates an opportunity to re-imagine a key feature of downtown and create a new vibrant and people-focused space for the city,” a City spokesperson said this week in an emailed statement. “The City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit continue to partner with each other and engage with the public to ensure a higher quality transit experience when transit moves off the Mall in 2026.”
Public Works and CPED proposed three transit alternatives for moving buses off of Nicollet Mall and onto other nearby streets last summer.
Option 1: Marquette and Second avenues – one-way pairs
The two-way pairs option would move Routes 10, 17, and 18 from Nicollet Mall to Marquette and Second avenues, while Routes 11 and 25 would move to Hennepin Avenue, where they would align with existing service and stops. The Orange Line and 33 express routes would stay on Marq2 in this scenario, but there would be some reconfiguration of transit operations behind the curb.
Option 2: Marquette and Second avenues – two-way traffic
About half of the Marq2 corridor would be reconstructed if the City and Metro Transit were to move forward with the second option of Marquette and Second avenues as two-way pairs. Routes 11 and 25 would move to Hennepin, the 33 express buses would move to Second Avenue, and the Orange Line and Routes 10, 17, and 18 would move to Marquette Avenue under this plan.
Option 3: Third Avenue – two-way traffic
The third option, with two-way traffic on Third Avenue, would move Routes 10, 17, and 18 to Third Avenue, where BRT and local routes would share stations. Routes 11 and 25 would move to Hennepin Avenue, while the Orange Line and 33 express buses would remain on Marq2. A full street reconstruction would be necessary under this scenario.
Community engagement to gather input on the three options started in August and will continue through May. More than 2,000 people have provided input through online and in-person engagement so far.
People who use Nicollet Mall and transit every day or a few times a week are “overrepresented” in the majority of respondents who don’t want any changes, according to an engagement summary.
Almost a quarter of respondents prefer the first option of one-way pairs on Marquette and Second avenues.
A spokesperson for Metro Transit previously told Downtown Voices that the agency’s goal “is to ensure any changes provide a customer experience that is as good as or better than today.”
An online survey is open through January. Those who are interested can opt in to receive email updates on the Nicollet Mall pedestrianization effort.
