Map of proposed work on Marshall Street. (Provided)
The southern portion of Marshall Street, from Third Ave. NE to Lowry Ave. NE, is in for a major rebuild.
It’s been more than 60 years since the thoroughfare (also known as County Road 23) has had any major work done, and Hennepin County is planning for big changes, including replacing aging infrastructure and improving safety and comfort for people using the corridor.
The first phase of community engagement for the project, the gathering of information about how people use the corridor, began last fall and included meetings with Bottineau and St. Anthony West neighborhood organizations.
The project is now in the feedback phase. This phase is almost complete, and that feedback, along with data analysis and environmental review, will help develop design elements and identify a preferred concept to present to the community by late spring or early summer. The county will seek City of Minneapolis approval by this fall.
Marshall Street is a two-lane undivided street, where on-street parking is currently permitted on both sides of the roadway during non-peak hours. The street lacks consistent dedicated facilities for people biking along the key north/south corridor that parallels the Mississippi River throughout Northeast Minneapolis.
Existing accommodations for pedestrians are relatively uncomfortable — the sidewalks are in poor condition and are often obstructed by utility poles and fire hydrants and there is inconsistent boulevard space. Pedestrian crossing enhancements such as curb extensions and raised medians are described as “minimal.”
Several studies for improvements to the corridor over the past 20 years, most recently in 2018, recommended a two-way off-street bicycle track through the corridor, as well as enhanced walking facilities, more extensive street landscaping, improving connections and access to the Mississippi River and strengthening connections to Marshall Street’s businesses and destinations.
Hennepin County Project Manager Kelly Agosto said, “Community feedback at project open houses and the online survey is an important part of understanding how people use this road, and what they imagine for its future. We’ve heard from people who live in the area, people who work or have businesses nearby, and people who walk, bike and roll along Marshall Street. We use that information, along with data analysis and environmental review, to develop design elements and eventually identify a preferred design.”
Hennepin County’s draft concepts online survey offered illustrations of three alternative street-scapes and asked readers for their choices on the design that met their personal needs and the community’s needs. They were also asked to rank the priorities for the corridor regarding a designated bikeway, a shared-use path, two lanes of parking, one lane of parking and more green space with trees. The survey ended April 4. Results are pending.
More than 50% of responses by people who attended meetings were from bicyclists, who advocated for protected bike lanes. Another 30% were about pedestrian issues, looking for green barriers between sidewalks and the roadway and infrastructure to make pedestrian crossing safer (especially at Broadway and Marshall). Other issues included high vehicular speeds, visibility issues and the preservation of parking spaces for access to businesses and residences.
Part of the research will involve a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study, which looks at transportation, environmental, community and economic goals. The information will be used to inform the environmental review process done by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and approved by the Federal Highway Administration.
Agosto said the project budgets shown in the Capital Improvement Program (around $22 million, spread over four years) are planning-level estimates, meant to reflect a range of possible designs. “Once we have a preferred concept, the figure will be refined.”
The project’s anticipated construction start will be spring 2027, with completion in fall 2028.