Last reconstructed more than 30 years ago, Hennepin Avenue received an update in 2022 that repaired and replaced street and utility infrastructure. The project revitalized the streetscape and will support the activities of the businesses and arts organizations in the Theater District.

Collaboration with the city, transit agency, business district leaders, neighborhood association and the public defined the project’s goals, spanning more than 200 meetings and events during the design phase. Some of these goals included creating wide sidewalks and improving safety at pedestrian crossings, adding greenspace and streetscape amenities and enhancing transit stops while also maintaining vehicle mobility.

To protect historic buildings in the tight construction envelope, crews completed much of the mainline concrete paving with pumps so that the concrete trucks could remain further away from sensitive areas. In addition, noise and vibration monitoring was conducted for all construction near historic properties.

Sewers beneath the streets were originally built in 1882. From 2019 to 2021, a separate project replaced the sanitary sewer trunk main and simultaneously completed major infrastructure updates to electric and telecommunications utilities. A potholing program helped the project team identify underground utility conflicts during design. With this approach and proactive communication, the team avoided utility conflicts and the project remained on schedule.