WHAT IS THE MIDTOWN GREENWAY?
The Midtown Greenway is a quiet place within the City, a giant air freshener made of plants, a way to get across town, an outdoor art gallery, and the orange juice that is energizing many other improvements across south Minneapolis. At the center of it all is a nonstop bicycle highway and walking path within a wider Greenway corridor, parallel to and north of Lake Street. When completed, the Midtown Greenway will connect the Chain of Lakes with the Mississippi River. West of Hiawatha Avenue, this corridor runs along 29th Street. East of Hiawatha Avenue, its runs along 27th Street.

The Midtown Greenway is publicly funded. It is YOUR Greenway.

The long-term plan is for mass transit to coexist alongside the cycling and walking paths. The Midtown Greenway Coalition is promoting the rail trolleys that served Minneapolis until 1956 as the preferred startup transit system in the Greenway. Such a vintage trolley line would be a friendly neighbor to bicyclists and walkers, and also offer high quality express service to thousands of transit riders per day.

This Greenway is in a trench from Hennepin Avenue to Cedar Avenue. This means cyclists can buzz along nonstop, crossing under bridges that carry city streets overhead. The Greenway is making bicycle transportation FAST, SAFE, and PLEASANT. In fact, getting across south Minneapolis is becoming faster by bicycle than by car.

The western segment of the Midtown Greenway, Phase I, opened to the public on August 12, 2000. Important people gave speeches and then there was a big parade with lots of funny-looking bikes. Phase I extends from Chowen Avenue, which is just west of Lake Calhoun, to 5th Avenue, which is just east of I-35W.

The Midtown Greenway is much more than a bikeway and walking path. The transformation of this littered and neglected railroad line into a place of beauty and community pride is creating stronger communities through our connection to the land and to one another. It will improve our lives with better transportation, recreation, public open space, public art, and boosts to our local economy and housing stock.

WHO'S WHO?
The Midtown Greenway is a multi-agency project. The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) owns the corridor west of Hiawatha Avenue. The HCRRA Commissioners are the same individuals as the Hennepin County Commissioners; they just put on their transit hats and convene a new meeting. The HCRRA bought the corridor in 1993 as part of a larger system of old railroad corridors they own. They are planning ahead to make sure that the future mass transit needs of the metro area can be accommodated when we finally start building the passenger rail system.

The City of Minneapolis was responsible for constructing the cycling and walking paths through Phase I of the Greenway. They are responsible for maintaining the pathways, lighting, and security system through the County-owned corridor. The City submitted the first round of federal grants that moved the Midtown Greenway from fantasy to funded-fantasy.

The Midtown Greenway Coalition is the grassroots group that represents community interests in the planning and construction of the Greenway and related amenities. None of the multi-million dollar budget for construction of the cycling and walking paths passes through the hands of the Coalition. The following section includes more information about the Coalition.

The newest kid on the block, but not the smallest, is the Midtown Community Works Partnership. This is a collection of three City Council members, the Mayor, a Commissioner of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, three County Commissioners, the Met Council Chair, and CEO’s or their right hand people from Allina, Fannie Mae, LISC, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Reliant Energy Minnegasco, Target, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, and Xcel Energy. Their purpose is to promote high profile investments in the Lake Street/Midtown Greenway Corridor, maximizing the synergy of public and private initiatives here.

In addition to the County, the City, the Midtown Community Works Partnership, and the Midtown Greenway Coalition, there are many other players assisting with funding and implementing the Midtown Greenway, including neighborhood organizations, other public agencies, and private parties.

Related information
Frequently-asked questions about the Greenway