MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on Jan., 31, 2022.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a proposal for a reconstruction project on Hennepin Avenue South that would have allowed transit vehicles to remain in operation all hours of the day.
The veto comes one day after the Minneapolis City Council voted in favor the proposal by a vote of 8-5. The renovation project, which would have occurred between West Lake Street and Douglas Avenue near Interstate 94, also included transit priority lanes, an off-street bikeway and a sidewalk, all of which Mayor Frey said he remains in favor of. However, he said he couldn't throw his support behind a 24/7 bus lane.
"I fully support a bus only lane with specified hours of operation to reduce congestion and vehicle miles traveled. I cannot, however, support keeping bus only lanes 24 hours a day when buses do not run 24 hours a day," Mayor Frey wrote in a letter to the City Council.
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