Lake St. redesign approved
from staff reports
On July 22, the Minneapolis City Council
approved design layouts and streetscape concepts for the reconstruction
of Lake St. east of Hiawatha Ave. The design preserves two lanes
to traffic moving in each direction, with no turn lanes or center
medians.
Hennepin County and the Lake St. Project
Advisory Committee had initially considered reducing Lake Street
to one lane in each direction plus a continuous center turn lane,
but changed plans in response to public reaction collected over
the past year.
Minneapolis also approved a base level
of new street-scaping, including decorative lighting, tree plantings,
scored sidewalks, trash receptacles and bike racks. At most intersections,
sidewalks will be widened, creating “bump-outs” that
reduce the length of the crosswalk, improving safety for pedestrians.
Petitions by property owners to enhance
these features may be put before the City Council later this year,
said Lee Wallace, who represents Ward 9 on the Lake Street Project
Advisory Committee.
“Businesses are talking about enhancing
the street-scape the whole stretch from Hiawatha to the river,”
Wallace said.
The county will provide the majority of
the cost through the combination of county and federal funds, said
Craig Twinem, Hennepin County’s design engineer for the project.
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