A busy corridor connecting downtown and Northeast Minneapolis will be impacted by road construction until late fall.

Hennepin and First avenues will remain open as work continues in the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood, but the parallel streets will be reduced to a single lane between Main Street and Eighth Street SE, likely for most of the year. Construction started last week and is expected to wrap up in November.

A final design for the Hennepin and First reconstruction was developed throughout a two-year planning and community engagement period, according to the project page on Hennepin County’s website.

The design prioritizes safety through wider sidewalks, separated bike paths, and transit priority lanes. The project also involves green infrastructure additions and stormwater improvements. Hennepin County put together a video overview of the project with more information.

The road construction means slower traffic across the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, and potentially across the recently-reopened Third Avenue Bridge as well, since Hennepin and Central avenues intersect where work is being done.

It’s also expected to slow business down for the many bars, restaurants, cafes, and shops along the stretches of Hennepin and First avenues, since some customers will be put off by the limited access to the surrounding area.

Here’s a near-exhaustive list of locally-owned businesses in the construction zone:

  • All Saints
  • Brasa
  • Conga Latin Bistro
  • Curry Corner
  • Flamin’ Thai
  • Fletcher’s Ice Cream & Cafe
  • FRGMNT
  • The Golden Pearl Vintage
  • Gorkha Palace
  • Ground Zero Nightclub
  • Harmony Coffee
  • HAUS Salon
  • The Herbivorous Butcher
  • Kramarczuk’s
  • Mac’s Industrial Sports Bar
  • Masu Sushi & Robata
  • Mill City Running
  • Northeast Tea House
  • Nye’s Bar
  • Otter’s Saloon
  • Pa Tea and Poke
  • Parcelle/Wesley Andrews Coffee & Tea
  • Punch Pizza
  • Relish
  • Slice Brothers Pizza
  • Silver Fern
  • Spitz
  • Stray Dog
  • STEPCHLD
  • Surdyk’s/Sidebar at Surdyk’s
  • The Sonder Shaker
  • The Terminal Bar
  • Together
  • Twelve Vultures
  • Vellee
  • West Photo
  • Whitey’s Old Town Saloon
  • Zhora Darling

Pedestrian and transit access will be maintained throughout the project, and detour signs will be posted at sidewalk closures for people who are walking or riding the bus, according to Hennepin County. 

Most of the construction is expected to take place Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Southbound lanes on Main Street SE between Third Avenue NE and Merriam Street will close to traffic on Monday until late May as part of a trail project between Hennepin and First avenues. The suggested detour route during the Main Street SE closure is 3rd Avenue NE to University Avenue to Sixth Avenue SE.

Meanwhile, the Third Avenue Bridge is the suggested detour for pedestrians and bicyclists who typically use the Stone Arch Bridge, whose two-year closure also begins on Monday, to travel between downtown and Northeast.

Another stretch of Hennepin Avenue in Uptown is being reconstructed in phases between West Lake Street and Douglas Avenue. Construction began last week and is expected to continue through 2025.

The owners of Bobby Bead and Quitas Kloset told WCCO that they’re worried about foot traffic getting even worse in Uptown.

Organizers of the Uptown Art Fair announced on Facebook earlier this week that the 60th annual event is canceled this year due to the road construction along Hennepin Avenue South, in Southwest Voices' coverage area.

Downtown Voices and Southwest Voices are huge supporters of our local, independent small businesses. Because of that, we’re offering a free ad placement in our newsletters to any business impacted by either Hennepin Avenue project. If you’re a business owner who wants to participate, fill out our usual advertising form to let us know you're interested.

We also encourage readers to support small businesses impacted by construction, hence the above list. Keep an eye out for specials and sales intended to get more people in the door.