Minnehaha Parkway project paused, CAC takes medians at Lyndale and Nicollet off table

During the Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the CAC recommended several next steps for the project based on extensive community feedback on the preferred concepts. Most notably, the project conversation about the parkway road will pause while more traffic data is collected.

Here are the five next steps endorsed by the CAC:

1) Eliminate the proposal to add medians at the parkway intersections with Lyndale Ave. and Nicollet Ave., which will allow for largely continuous vehicular travel along Minnehaha Creek.

2) Continue to evaluate designs for the Parkway + Portland and Lynnhurst Focus Areas in terms of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle safety and comfort.

3) Work to implement immediate improvements at the Parkway + Portland Focus Area to the extent possible.

4) Initiate additional traffic data collection and explore piloting solutions at the Parkway + Portland and Lynnhurst Focus Areas.

5) Pause the master plan process to allow time for additional exploration, then reconvene the CAC in September/October.

This means there will be no additional CAC meetings scheduled in the immediate future. The MPRB will work with its consulting staff and agency partners to prepare further study this summer.

In any case, however, the proposed Nicollet and Lyndale medians are considered off the table. All other project ideas will continue to be discussed.

The CAC also unanimously recommended the Lynnhurst Area concept brought forward by the Lynnhurst Subcommittee. This concept will also be considered by the CAC for the Southwest Parks Plan, which is in the process of creating a cohesive master plan for 40+ neighborhood park properties in Southwest Minneapolis. Follow the link below to view the recommended Lynnhurst Area concept.

Discussion of Segments 1, 2 and 3 of the Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan, including several revised concepts based on community and CAC feedback, was on the agenda for CAC Meeting #8 on July 9. Those discussions did not take place. MPRB staff will consider reconvening the CAC during the summer to discuss those areas. (The CAC previously reached consensus for Segment 4). The revised concepts (including those for the parkway road) will be uploaded to the project website soon.

The online survey will remain open for the public to provide ongoing feedback on the preferred concepts and new revisions. "Please especially let us know what you think of the modifications to Segments 1 and 2 and the Nicollet Hollow Focus Area," urge park board staff. "If you have already taken the online survey, you may do so again, even from the same computer."

Once more detail is known, MPRB staff will communicate with the community about the ongoing project studies this summer, immediate improvements and possible pilot projects.