Three More Parkway Closures to Motor Vehicles Coming Soon to Allow Pedestrians More Space for Social Distancing; MPRB Addresses Questions Re: Summer Closures and Cancellations

Via an April 3 e-announcement:

Three more parkway closures to motor vehicles coming soon to allow pedestrians more space for social distancing

Cedar Lake Parkway: Northbound lane closes between Sunset Boulevard and Cedar Lake Road

Lake of the Isles Parkway: Intermittent full and partial closures to accommodate residential and transit access

West River Parkway: Northbound lane closes between 46th and 11th Avenues S

At its April 1, 2020 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board of Commissioners passed Resolution 2020-179, which expanded a series of parkway closures to motor vehicle traffic to allow more space for trail users to follow social distancing practices and limit the spread of COVID-19.

The resolution also states that all parkway closures enacted in response to Gov. Walz’s Emergency Executive Order 20-20 Directing Minnesotans to Stay at Home will remain in place until the end of the executive order, which is scheduled to conclude on Friday, April 10, 2020 at 5 pm. Parkway closures will mirror any extension of the executive order.

Parking lots adjacent to the existing and new parkway closures will also be closed in order to limit parkway closures from becoming regional destinations. Please visit parks and open spaces closest to your home.  

By 5 am on Saturday, April 4, new closures for Cedar Lake Parkway and Lake of the Isles Parkway, and an extension of a closure enacted last week on West River Parkway will join ones already in place for Lake Harriet Parkway, Lake Nokomis Parkway and Main Street SE. Maps of every closure are posted on the MPRB Road Closures page.

Once closures go into effect:  

• Parkway roads will be dedicated to two-way pedestrian traffic; cyclists should remain on bike trails.
• Walking paths will be dedicated to two-way pedestrian traffic.
• Bike paths will remain bike paths in their current direction, if applicable.

Cedar Lake Parkway

The northbound lane along the lake and adjacent parking lots will be closed to motor vehicles and open for pedestrians between Sunset Boulevard and Cedar Lake Road. The southbound land will remain open for one-way motor vehicle traffic.

Map of Cedar Lake Parkway Closure [PDF]

Lake of the Isles Parkway

Full closures to motor vehicle traffic will be in place around the lake, with intermittent single-lane lane openings to allow residential access and both driving lanes open where needed for Metro Transit bus access.

Map of Lakes of the Isles Parkway Closure [PDF]

West River Parkway

The northbound lane along the river will close to motor vehicles and open for pedestrians between 46th Avenue S and 11th Avenue S. The southbound lane will remain open to one-way motor vehicle traffic.

Map of West River Parkway Closure (46th-11th Aves. S) [PDF]

Last week West River Parkway closed to motor vehicle traffic and opened to pedestrians between Plymouth Avenue N and 11th Avenue S, with one lane open to motor vehicles near Portland Avenue to provide access to the Water Works construction site and parking serving 200 2nd St. S.

Exceptions and Conditions

• Emergency vehicles will be allowed on closed sections of parkways and streets at all times.
• Service, delivery and sanitation vehicles will be allowed on closed sections of parkways and streets as part of their regular operations. Vehicle drivers will be required to move and replace barricades.
• Access to residential buildings and residential parking facilities on closed sections of parkways and streets will be maintained.

Social Distancing

The Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control offer the following guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Do not use parks if you feel sick or have symptoms, including fever, body aches, coughing, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat.
• Cover your cough with your elbow, don’t cough into your hands.
• Wash your hands immediately before and after visiting a park or trail.
• Maintain at least six feet of distance between you and other people that are not a part of your household.

Stay Updated

Visit minneapolisparks.org/coronavirus for parkway closure updates and other MPRB FAQs, including facility closings and activity cancellations. Receive timely email updates by visiting minneapolisparks.org/subscribe, entering your email and selecting the “COVID-19” topic in the “News Updates” section.

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board responds to questions about plans for summer closures and cancellations

Following yesterday’s sharing of summer plans, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) hopes the information below addresses the three primary questions it received today, “Why did the MPRB announce these plans so early in the season?”, “Why are pools, water parks and beaches not opening?” and “Are we not offering any summer programs?”

Why did the MPRB announce these plans so early?

The MPRB will continue to monitor the data and public health impacts being shared by the Governor and Minnesota Department of Health and adjust plans as resources allow.

“If the forecast changes and we able to provide summer services beyond what is currently planned, we will do so as resources allow,” explained Al Bangoura, Superintendent. “Right now, our planning is based on the March 25 scenario shared by Governor Walz that predicts the epidemic peak at 14 weeks, or early July. We interpret this to mean people will continue to get sick beyond that peak projection date, and public health and safety measures will be needed well into July and August.”

Bangoura also explains, “We take public service delivery, transparency and managing expectations seriously, particularly during this pandemic. As information was being shared with media and commissioners at the April 1 Board meeting, we felt obligated to share it with staff and the public.”

Unfortunately, some media coverage didn’t accurately reflect information shared. Yesterday the MPRB didn’t say all summer programs are cancelled; it said programs would be cancelled if they could not be modified or done virtually, to ensure social distancing. Staff are working hard to plan for spring and summer (see details below, in program section).

Why aren’t beaches, pools, waterparks and the Webber natural swimming pool opening?  The level of public congregation that takes place at our aquatic facilities and the level of staff required to operate these facilities will make it impossible to open and manage these facilities safely to accommodate social distancing. UPDATE: With almost 80 outdoor aquatic amenities (62 wading pools, 12 beaches, two waterparks, one natural swimming pool), we believe the MPRB has more aquatic amenities than any other city in Minnesota and possibly the country. Maintaining and operating these facilities takes significant lead time and requires significant staff resources. At this time, our workforce has already been impacted by COVID-19. Considering concerns about being able to provide these amenities in a way that would support social distancing, the timeframe and resources required to open them and demands on our workforce, we are not opening these facilities at this time.

Do event cancellations include only MPRB programed events or permitted events too? MPRB events held in neighborhood and regional parks that are produced by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will be cancelled through August. Staff will work to determine if an event can be moved to later in the year, but we anticipate the majority of all MPRB spring and summer MPRB produced events will be cancelled, as they are being cancelled throughout the country. UPDATE: This is for MPRB produced events such as Red White & Boom and smaller neighborhood park events; it does not include permitted events to outside organizations, such as:

• All permitted events and permitted programs as scheduled are still on, unless external organizers choose to postpone or cancel their events. For instance, the Red, White and Boom Half Marathon (which is a non-MPRB event) is still scheduled as planned.
• All weddings and wedding receptions in Park facilities are still on as planned after facilities re-open

If summer programs and team sports that do not allow social distancing are being cancelled, what is being offered? Unless a program can be done virtually or adjusted for social distancing, spring and summer programs, athletics and leagues will be cancelled. UPDATE: The MPRB is following MDH guidelines and intends to allow as many spring and summer recreational opportunities as possible, including: 

• All restaurants/concessions still intend to open per usual, including takeout options as directed via the Governor’s orders.
• Sailing School (both in-house and contracted) programming is currently under evaluation for the opportunity of safe summer operation.
• All watercraft and other rentals are slated to open as normal, with social distancing and sanitization planning.
• Sailboat buoy program is still scheduled to operate, with a delayed buoy draw process
• Canoe rack storage are still scheduled to operate this season.
• Boat launches are slated open May 1.
• Fishing, sailing, canoe docks will be installed per usual.
• Lakes are open for boating and fishing.
• Summer recreation center programming is being evaluated for safe summer operation; however, registration is currently on hold. This includes Music and Movies daily summer programs.
• Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden intends to open for the season – with social distancing measures in place for safe enjoyment of the space.