A Final Summer of Hennepin Construction, Then Relief

The City of Minneapolis reconstructed Hennepin Avenue South between West Lake Street and Douglas Avenue, the corridor that forms the western edge of the Wedge and runs up toward the foot of Lowry Hill. The work was split into two phases: Phase 1, from Lake Street to 26th Street, finished in 2024, and Phase 2, from 26th Street to Douglas Avenue, was substantially completed in 2025. The city marked the reopening in late October 2025.

The new street replaces four lanes of traffic and on-street parking with two general traffic lanes, a rush-hour bus lane that doubles as parking outside peak periods, a two-way protected bikeway on the east side, raised medians and wider sidewalks.

For the Wedge and the blocks below Lowry Hill, the 2025 phase from 26th Street north was the one felt most directly, through closed lanes, relocated bus stops and construction noise. With the corridor reopened, the longer question is whether the redesign delivers what the city promised: faster buses in the dedicated lane, steady use of the protected bikeway and recovery for storefronts that endured two years of fenced sidewalks. The city's project page documents the final configuration.