MINNEAPOLIS — A major construction project in Minneapolis started Monday, April 1.
The Hennepin Avenue South project is split into two phases. Phase one started Monday, affecting Hennepin Avenue from 26th Street, all the way down to West Lake Street.
Project managers say this phase will go until November, and many business owners are worried.
"It was a rude awakening on the way in for sure,” Cal Surf Store Manager Dan Pergrin said.
Pergrin knew the project was coming, but he didn't expect to see an orange cone right in front of his shop.
"Most of our customers will pull up into the lane right in front of the store, so now we don't have the parking directly out front,” Pergrin said.
The shop sells skateboards, snowboards and clothing, and Pergrin says they rely on foot traffic from the nearby lake and parks.
“A lot of our business is from people just walking by and so with construction we’ll probably get less of that,” Pergrin said.
He says store managers and owners have been talking about this construction project for months, and some have decided to take drastic measures.
“We’ve heard of some store owners along Hennepin who have just decided to move locations prior to this construction starting,” Pergrin said.
Over at Amazing Thailand, managers are also worried about parking, and foot traffic during construction.
"A lot of customers have already shared that it's not easy to come to Uptown,” general manager Korawan Muangmode said.
“We’re lucky we survived COVID, but we don’t know how long we can be able to survive anymore.”
Project manager Adam Hayow says the City of Minneapolis is trying to minimize the impact on local businesses as they work to upgrade the streets and sidewalks.
"Hennepin Avenue was last reconstructed 65 years ago, so the infrastructure is in poor condition,” Hayow says.
The city will host virtual meetings every Friday to keep business owners informed.
Those meetings start at 10 a.m. every Friday during the project and residents can access the meetings virtually by visiting the city’s website.
Phase two of the project will start in spring of 2025 and should be completed by the end of the year.
Project managers say phase two will focus on the portion of Hennepin Avenue that stretches from 26th Street to Douglas Avenue.
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