Washington Avenue North Loop Restriping Update

Via an August 5 Hennepin County e-newsletter:

Work set to begin on Monday, August 10

We are ready to move forward with modifying and repainting (restriping) the lane lines on Washington Avenue in the North Loop. You will notice crews on the avenue working from North 3rd Avenue to Plymouth Avenue starting next week.

Upcoming work schedule

• Monday, August 10: Begin testing of lane drop area between north 3rd and 5th Avenues; remove striping and place temporary tab striping.
• Tuesday, August 11-Sunday, August 16: Observe traffic operations and adjust temporary striping as necessary.
• Tuesday, August 18: Remove striping on corridor (Washington Avenue from Hennepin to Plymouth Avenues).
• Wednesday, August 19: Resurface and restripe corridor.

This schedule is subject to change.

What you will notice during the work

One key item you will notice is that first we will be placing temporary striping down in the drop area between 3rd and 5th avenues. This is the transition area where the configuration will change between a 4-lane and a 3-lane roadway. The tab striping allows us to move the stripes as we observe how traffic moves through the area. We will be monitoring and adjusting the striping (as needed) over the course of several days, which will include some days when we expect high traffic volume.

Once we have completed this testing, we will place permanent striping in this area, as well as through the remainder of the corridor.

There may be some temporary parking restrictions during the work, but parking should otherwise remain the same in the area.

About the project

Hennepin County, in coordination with the City of Minneapolis, is restriping Washington Avenue (County Road 152) from Hennepin Avenue to Plymouth Avenue in the North Loop area. The goal of this reconfiguration is to increase the safety and well-being for all road users (drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists).

The scope of the project includes changing a portion of the road north of North 5th Avenue from its current 4-lane design (two lanes in each direction) to a 3-lane design (one lane each direction with a center continuous left turn lane). Bike lanes will also be added.

Intended benefits of the project include increased comfort and safety for bike riders; slower speeds; smoother operations for all transportation modes (vehicles, buses, bikes, pedestrians); likely reduction in all crashes due to removal of conflicts and better lane definitions.

More information

See active projects on our interactive road construction map.

Learn more about how transportation is connecting people to places.

For more information go to www.hennepin.us.

For questions about this bulletin contact Bob Byers at robert.byers@hennepin.us or 62-596-0354.