Echoing the popular Midtown Greenway bike highway that cuts through south Minneapolis, city planners hope to build a “Northside Greenway” through six north Minneapolis neighborhoods.
But unlike the Midtown Greenway, which gave new life to an old abandoned railroad trench, the Northside Greenway would be integrated into 4 miles of residential streets where people currently live, park their cars, attend school and run businesses. Although the idea for the Northside Greenway originated with grassroots groups, it has taken more than a decade of deliberation to reach the start of design.
Alexis Pennie, a four-season cyclist who heads the group Northside Greenway Now, said when he first started advocating for the project, there was not as much investment in alternate modes of transportation. Now that more streets throughout the city are being designed to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, he believes north Minneapolis deserves new infrastructure.
“Getting us to this stage, there has been tremendous work, countless hours of people talking to people, door knocking in multiple languages ... to better understand the needs and the concerns,” Pennie said. “That can’t really be quantified, but that definitely had to happen because there’s so much distrust.”
The Northside Greenway would run along the low-traffic, north-south blocks of Humboldt and Irving avenues, through the neighborhoods of Folwell, Harrison, Jordan, Near North, Sumner-Glenwood and Webber-Camden. Bike infrastructure along that route could differ block by block depending on what planners hear from residents. In some places a curb could totally separate it from the roadway, while in others it might be as light a touch as a lane painted on the ground.
Plantings, public art installations and small places to gather may dot the route, contributing to the concept of a greenway being a low-stress place for people to enjoy urban greenery and talk with neighbors.
The city has conducted surveys and workshops with diverse community groups over the years, and in 2016 set up a yearlong demonstration project along five blocks — later scaled back to three after some residents complained — to gather data on snow removal, traffic and other factors. At the end of the project, Wilder Research survey found that 73% of respondents wanted some kind of greenway on their street.
Audua Pugh, executive director of the Jordan Area Community Council, said she will always drive a car, but supports the Northside Greenway because she expects it to calm traffic and boost a sense of comfort and safety. Most of her neighbors were “OK” with the demonstration project along Irving Avenue, Pugh said.