Minneapolis city leaders are celebrating the reopening of Hennepin Avenue in Uptown.
Phase one of the project is now over, making way for easier access to Uptown businesses and restaurants just in time for the holidays season. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says it hasn't been an easy journey to get to this point, and he's grateful for the resiliency of local businesses.
"And at the same time, we recognize that it's hard on people," says Frey. "When you've got multiple years worth of construction, it's hard. And so we greatly appreciate everybody's patience."
Phase two of construction is set to begin in the spring and will focus on Hennepin Avenue south from Douglas Avenue to West 26th Street.
Those business owners are eager to bring foot traffic back to the area too. City leaders say bus routes will no longer follow detours and the newly paved sidewalks, and they're ready for use.
It's something Isles Bun and Coffee owner Jeff Veigel has been looking forward to the reopening for years.
"It's been the most difficult portion of that time, it has been recently," says Veigel. "So I'm very happy and our staff is very happy to see the completion of this phase of construction. And we'd like to thank all our customers who have managed to find us during the last difficult time, and have managed to support all the businesses that have managed to remain open in Uptown."
The project is meant to update Hennepin Avenue to meet the public’s current and future needs, according to the city. The new, multimodal design improves space for people to walk, ride transit, bike, and drive.
The redesigned layout of one of the city's busiest stretches also provides space for enhanced stations of the future METRO E Line bus.