Background

We conducted a study from August 2022 to May 2025 for Olson Memorial Hwy in North Minneapolis from Border Ave. to the BNSF railroad bridge west of Thomas Ave. We conducted this study to better understand the needs of the community and explore long-term options that benefit the surrounding community and people who use the highway.

We carried out extensive public engagement through surveys, in-person events, and conversations with community members and leaders. We made extra efforts to connect with people from all backgrounds and holding a variety of perspectives.

Using public engagement and technical analysis, we identified the main transportation needs of this area as:

Safety for all travelers
Better facilities for people walking and biking
Improved mobility or better travel times for cars, trucks and transit vehicles

During the study we also developed different concepts to address the needs and evaluated them to understand which ones could meet these needs. The study recommended a group of concepts, along with different types of intersections (roundabouts, J-turns, and grade-separated) and changes to frontage roads, driveways and side street connections be evaluated in the next step in project development, known as preliminary design. The preliminary design process will include more detailed design and opportunities for the public to give input.