Metro Transit, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and utility companies will start work soon to prepare the Lake St. corridor for the upcoming B-Line Rapid Bus route. 2024 construction work includes 15 B Line station platforms at eight intersections west of Hiawatha Avenue. Most construction in 2024 is related to Lake Street improvements funded by project partners at the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County including:
Pedestrian and signal improvements at approximately 40 additional intersections.
Resurfacing and restriping of Lake Street and Lagoon Avenue, which includes 5.4 additional miles of bus-only lanes.
To see where work will be happening, and what is being built, please view the interactive project map: https://app.publiccoordinate.com/#/projects/METROBline/map
So far, crews have placed temporary signal poles and completed necessary tree removals, and they continue to work to install underground fiber optic cable along the corridor. CenterPoint Energy will begin updating their infrastructure and gas meters before major construction starts. CenterPoint Energy staff may be contacting residents and businesses about potential short-term gas outages as they upgrade equipment.
Intersection & Lane Closures Planned
Starting the first week of April, the intersection of Lake & Dupont north of Lake Street will be closed for up to 8-10 weeks.
Starting the first week of April, the intersection of Emerson & Lagoon avenues north of Lake Street will be closed for 2-3 weeks. East-west traffic on Lagoon will remain open, but reduced to one lane.
Later in April, closures will occur at Fremont & Lagoon avenue and Knox Ave. & Lake Street/ Lagoon Ave. for approximately 2-3 weeks each East-west traffic on Lake St. will still be open, but reduced to one lane.
Starting in early April, the north (right-hand) lane of Lagoon Avenue between Dupont Avenue and East Bde Maka Ska Parkway will be closed. This closure is projected to last until mid-to-late May.
Starting in early April, the south (right-hand) lane of Lake Street between Pillsbury Avenue and East Bde Maka Ska Parkway will be closed. This closure is projected to last until mid-to-late May.
Crews will begin construction work at 17 intersections to upgrade pedestrian corners, and begin construction on B Line stations at Lake & Lyndale, Lake & Hennepin, and Lake & East Bde Maka Ska.
General construction information
Construction along the corridor will be phased, with work beginning between East Bde Maka Ska Parkway and Blaisdell Avenue starting this spring. The section between Blaisdell and Hiawatha Avenues will start later this year.
Work in the corridor will include station construction, utility work, pavement and intersection improvements, traffic signal changes, and resurfacing of the pavement on Lake Street and Lagoon Avenue. When an area is under construction, the street will be partially closed to vehicle traffic in stages, with one side of the street being worked on at a time. At least one driving lane in each direction will be open throughout construction. Sidewalks will remain open on at least one side of the street, and access will be maintained to homes and businesses. Parking on Lake Street and Lagoon Avenue. will be restricted in some areas. More detailed information, including maps of planned closures, is available on the B Line Construction webpage. https://www.metrotransit.org/b-line-project-construction
Any questions about B Line or Lake Street improvements construction can be directed to the construction hotline at 651-356-6995 or to BLine@metrotransit.org.
