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METRO Green Line Extension Construction Bulletin: March 17, 2023

Web: GreenLineExt.org                                                                
Twitter: @GreenLineExtMN
Construction Hotline: 612-373-3933

Beginning March 24: 3-Day Closure of North 7th Street in Minneapolis

Construction of the 5th Ave/7th St LRT Bridge continues with work on the cast-in-place bridge span over North 7th Street. To advance this work, a three-day full closure of North 7th Street is needed to erect formwork over the roadway.

North 7th Street will be closed between Olson Memorial Highway and 5th Avenue North starting at 7:00 AM on Friday, March 24 to accommodate bridge construction. The roadway is expected to reopen before the morning commute on Monday, March 27. Northbound traffic will be detoured to Royalston Avenue via Twins Way. Southbound traffic will be detoured to Glenwood Avenue via Border Avenue and Holden Street. Advance signage will be in place of the upcoming closure. You can view the detour route on the Detour Maps page of the Green Line Extension LRT Project website.

Eden Prairie Highlights

Ongoing:

• Winter construction activity in Eden Prairie is limited mostly to the area around SouthWest Station. Expect minimal updates to construction activities until April 2023.

Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Eden Prairie.

Minnetonka Highlights

Ongoing:

• Crews continue to work on the Minnetonka-Hopkins LRT bridge.
• Expect minimal updates to construction activities until April 2023.

Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Minnetonka.

Hopkins Highlights

Upcoming:

• A brief closure of Blake Road is scheduled to occur on Monday, March 20 to mobilize rail-mounted equipment. Traffic will be detoured to Excelsior Boulevard via 2^nd Street Northeast and St. Louis Street. Follow posted detour signage.

Ongoing:

• The west sidewalk on Blake Road remains closed. Please use the sidewalk on the east side of Blake Road.
• The northeast and southwest sidewalks at Excelsior Boulevard and Jackson Avenue/ Milwaukee Street are closed through the winter.
• Expect minimal updates to construction activities until April 2023.

Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Hopkins.

St. Louis Park Highlights

Ongoing:

• Winter construction activity in St. Louis Park will be intermittent.
• The east sidewalk along Wooddale Avenue remains closed. Please use the sidewalk on the west side of Wooddale Avenue.

Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in St. Louis Park.

Minneapolis Highlights

Upcoming:

• Secant wall construction is expected to resume next week and anticipated to take 3-4 weeks.
• Expect lane closures on East Lyndale Avenue and West Lyndale Avenue on March 20 and 21 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM for fencing work.
• Expect lane closures Monday, March 20 through Thursday, March 23 on North 7^th Street between Olson Memorial Highway and North 5^th Avenue in both directions. These lane closures will be in place during the hours of 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM for bridge work.
• Expect a lane closure on eastbound North 6^th Avenue beginning on March 20 and extending through the spring to complete work on the adjacent 5^th Ave/7^th Street LRT bridge.
• Sanitary sewer force main work is scheduled to begin in late March at Depot Street and at West 28^th This work involves the removal of concrete and pavement, excavation and soil hauling, and installing the force main into its final location. This work is expected to continue throughout spring 2023.
• As part of the aforementioned sewer force main work, the intersection of Dean Court and West 28^th Street will be closed for about two months starting in early April.
• A virtual community meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 6-7 PM to review upcoming construction activities at West 21st Street in Minneapolis. The link to join the meeting is on the Meetings and Events page of the GLE project website. All are welcome to attend and participate; please note that this meeting is focused exclusively on work at West 21st Street. A future meeting to discuss 2023 construction activities in Minneapolis is expected to occur in April.
• North 7th Street will be closed between Olson Memorial Highway and 5th Avenue North starting at 7:00 AM on Friday, March 24 to accommodate bridge construction. The roadway is expected to reopen before the morning commute on Monday, March 27.

Ongoing:

• Pumps and generators will run overnight periodically in various parts of the construction corridor, especially at the Kenilworth LRT tunnel site. Pumps are used to manage water, and generators are used to power the pumps as well as to power equipment that keeps pipes or other elements warm during freezing temperatures.
• Cedar Lake Parkway is closed through spring 2023 to advance LRT tunnel construction. Pedestrian and bicycle access is maintained via a temporary bridge located just south of where Cedar Lake Parkway crosses the rail corridor.
• The Cedar Lake Channel is closed to recreational use through spring 2023. The Kenilworth Lagoon is accessible from Lake of the Isles. This closure is necessary to remove and reconstruct historic retaining walls in the channel that were originally built under the Works Progress Administration. This is mitigation work that is required per the Project’s environmental documentation.
• Pile-driving activities continue at Bryn Mawr Station area into spring to construct retaining walls. Lane closures are in place on Wayzata Boulevard at the intersection of Penn Avenue.
• Construction at and around Bryn Mawr Station continues for work on the pedestrian bridge and station.
• Glenwood Avenue between Lyndale Avenue North and North 12th Street remains closed for construction of the LRT bridge and two roadway bridges. See Minneapolis detour map.
• Royalston Avenue between 5th Avenue and Border Avenue is open to roadway traffic in a northbound-only condition.

Visit our website for more details and visuals of construction activities in Minneapolis

Trail Highlights

• Various trails within the Opus area are closed as crews advance many project elements. The Opus trails are anticipated to reopen in 2023.
• The Minnesota River Bluffs Trail between Shady Oak Road and 11th Avenue in Hopkins is anticipated to reopen in 2023.
• The Minnesota River Bluffs Trails between 11th Avenue and Excelsior Boulevard is open for local use.
• The South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins and Wooddale Avenue in St. Louis Park remains closed and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.
• The segment of the South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Wooddale Avenue and Beltline Boulevard is open for local use. The South Cedar Lake LRT Trail between Beltline Boulevard and France Avenue in St. Louis Park remains closed and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.
• Temporary trails near Chowen Avenue and West Lake Street remain in place. For your safety and the safety of work crews, please follow signage for the temporary trail and stay clear of the work zone.
• The Kenilworth Trail will remain closed until the completion of LRT tunnel construction in 2025.
• The Luce Line Regional Trail bridge that crosses the BNSF rail corridor at Bryn Mawr Meadows Park is closed. A new bridge is being reconstructed to connect the new Bassett Creek Valley Station with the Park and is scheduled to reopen in 2025.
• The North Cedar Lake Trail east of Van White Memorial Boulevard is anticipated to reopen in 2025.

Project staff share the community’s desire to see the trails reopen as soon as possible. The project office will continue to work with the contractor to improve on these opening dates.

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