Community Input Will Guide New Report and the Future of the Highway
Residents, business owners, and local organizations near Olson Memorial Highway are invited to participate in Design Week, a multi-day design workshop with planners, designers, and engineers, next week as part of the campaign to “Bring Back 6th.” The community feedback will shape a larger report evaluating design possibilities for the future of the highway.
Design Week starts on Monday, May 5, and ends on Thursday, May 8, at Glasshouse (145 Holden St N). The workshop will progress the collective vision of the community into tangible street design alternatives “rooted in repair, reconnection, and community ownership.” Activities include community presentations, discussions, open design studios, and stakeholder interviews. Food and childcare will be provided during select sessions to ensure accessibility.
Our Streets, the transportation advocacy organization leading this grassroots work in collaboration with the Minnesota Communities Over Highways Coalition, is supported by federal funding from the Reconnecting Communities Program. The coalition has been working to reimagine Olson Memorial Highway as a vibrant, walkable main street that restores neighborhood connections, repurposes public space, and prioritizes multimodal transit.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) released preliminary alternatives in March of last year that could be compatible with this vision. This project provides an opportunity for community input to inform the preferred design.
“We’ve long worked with neighbors and community leaders to build a shared vision for a reconnected 6th Avenue—one that centers healing, mobility, and opportunity,” says José Antonio Zayas Cabán, executive director of Our Streets. “Design Week is a powerful step forward, where community priorities will directly guide the work of engineers and planners.”
The highway was once the heart of a Black and Jewish neighborhood. This vibrant commercial corridor was destroyed by the construction of Minnesota’s first highway in the late 1930s. Today, it tops the City’s Vision Zero high-injury street network and sees less traffic than segments of West Broadway Avenue.
In addition to input from survey data, Design Week, and previous engagement efforts to date, the report will assess the feasibility and quantify the potential benefits of possible concepts along the corridor, which will include converting this stretch of Highway 55 corridor to better serve the community. The report will also produce policy and land use recommendations for government partners to proactively prevent displacement, preserve neighborhood affordability, and prioritize economic benefits for existing residents.
The Minneapolis City Council passed a unanimous resolution in support of highway removal in 2023.
Our Streets is working with the following community partners: Harrison Neighborhood Association, Heritage Park Neighborhood Association, Urban Strategies, Green Garden Bakery, Summit Academy OIC, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, and The Lao Center of Minnesota.
Design Week technical partners include Toole Design Group, NEOO Partners, Smart Mobility, and the New Urban Mobility Alliance (NUMO).
Shape the Future
Can’t make Design Week but want your voice heard? Take the survey and share your feedback.