Hopkins street reconstruction brings the community together
The Hopkins Artery is a pedestrian, bike and vehicle connector that runs along 8th Avenue South in Hopkins between a planned light rail station on Excelsior Boulevard and the city’s historic downtown.
Hopkins, a first-ring suburb in Hennepin County with a diversifying population, found that its growing diversity highlighted the need to plan in ways that brought the community together and help grow community bonds.
Hopkins worked with Active Living Hennepin County (ALHC) through an intensive two-year period where the “Artery Experiment” was born. ALHC is a SHIP-supported collaboration among Hennepin County suburbs to incorporate active living and health into city policies, programs and projects.
The Artery harnessed the power of a demonstration project, which featured 20 temporary installations that tested possible changes to 8th Avenue South to improve biking, walking and social connectedness. The demonstration project also engaged the community in fun and inclusive ways and built project support. Feedback gathered through this event influenced the final design.
As the name suggests, the Hopkins Artery offers more than a simple physical connector. It features vibrant pedestrian and community spaces, art installations from local and national artists, and green spaces like landscaping and rain gardens. A protected bicycle lane closes a significant gap in Hennepin County’s bicycle network by connecting two regional trails.
Its planning process, supported by SHIP through Hennepin County, helped create the momentum to move the project from an innovative dream in 2015 to an opening day reality in 2018.
The project is gaining national and state recognition. It is one of three projects in the country distinguished as a 2019 Great Street by the American Planning Association (APA). APA’s Minnesota Chapter awarded the Artery a 2019 “Partnerships in Planning” award.
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