Parts of Midtown Greenway closed throughout August

(Photo: Jon Collins)

Portions of the Midtown Greenway will be closed starting Monday as crews resurface it. Minneapolis bike and pedestrian planner Simon Blenski said workers will patch cracks and seal pavement in the first major resurfacing project since the trail opened 12 years ago. "It's a way of preserving the trail without fully reconstructing it," Blenski said. "When users see the end product it will essentially look like the trail has a new blacktop on it." The city is trying to accommodate for the closing of the city's main bike thoroughfare by setting up detours. "There will be detour signs that actually say bike detour Midtown Greenway on them," Blenski said. "Hopefully that will bring some awareness to both bicyclists, who can use it as a way finding element, but also to motorists [to] expect more bicycle traffic on these streets." The Greenway will be reopened on weekends during the construction. Construction will last through the end of the month. As part of the resurfacing, crews will slightly raise parts of the trail that are susceptible to water and ice buildup, Blenski said. The Midtown Greenway is 5.7 miles long, and extends from the Chain of Lakes to the Mississippi River. Closures will start on the west end of the Greenway on Monday, Aug. 13, and steadily move east. The repairs only affect areas west of the Sabo Bridge. Here's the construction timeline from Minneapolis:

Phase 1

The Midtown Greenway will be closed from Abbott Avenue South to East Calhoun Parkway. Also, the Kenilworth Trail will be closed from the Midtown Greenway to Cedar Lake Parkway.

Phase 2

The Midtown Greenway will be closed from East Calhoun Parkway to Colfax Avenue South.

Phase 3

The Midtown Greenway will be closed from Colfax Avenue South to 10th Avenue South.

Phase 4

The Midtown Greenway will be closed from 11th Avenue South to Hiawatha Avenue South.

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