A redo for a ‘revolutionary’ road
Bring Back 6th vision to transform the highway back into a walkable main street.
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
If you stand on the corner of 6th and Lyndale, it’s hard to imagine that the stretch of highway before you was a hub of North Minneapolis life. When Olson Memorial Highway (Highway 55) was built in the 1930s, it tore through what was formerly known as 6th Avenue, reducing lively businesses to asphalt.
“There was a walkable, accessible neighborhood that was thriving, and it was safe where people could access their basic needs and amenities from nearby. And it was nearly erased from history,” said José Antonio Zayas Cabán, executive director of Our Streets Minneapolis.
Our Streets Minneapolis and the Harrison Neighborhood Association started the Bring Back 6th campaign to return the highway to the thriving Black and Jewish cultural corridor that was 6th Avenue. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $1.6 million to Our Streets Minneapolis, the group spearheading Bring Back 6th.
Zayas Cabán said that when highways go through neighborhoods, environmental racism is a heavy component, and the Northside has been victimized by it for far too long. The Northside is in the county with the worst air in the metro state area, has the highest asthma rates, is dealing with the fallout of the HERC incinerator, and is suffocated by the car emissions from Highway 55 that go right through the community.
Ultimately, the group wants to eliminate the highway completely and restore it to a walkable main street. The publicly owned land would be placed in a land trust to ensure that new developments benefit the existing community.
“We have to work hard to present these ideas, not because they're impossible; it's because they have been done, but they haven't been afforded to all groups,” Antonio Zayas Cabán said. “People may lose five minutes of driving time, but isn’t it worth it if we're seeing a community fully restored or folks have access to the same generational wealth-building opportunities that have been afforded to other Minnesotans?”
After the highway's initial construction, the city praised it as revolutionary. But a revolutionary road was at the expense of a thriving area in the community. Today, the pavement is deteriorating, the roadway is being used well under capacity, and the word ‘revolutionary’ is replaced with words like “dangerous” and ‘antiquated.
The Blue Line light rail extension was initially set to come down Highway 55 and promised to address safety and infrastructure issues on the roadway, but when the route was changed, that promise was abandoned.
Last year, MnDOT stepped in to conduct a study to identify the roadway's issues. 3.6 million dollars in federal funding, coming from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, was dedicated to revitalizing the road. This program aims to connect communities by supporting neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation.
MNDot’s Option 2 rendering for an alternative Highway 55 was a favorite of residents at the community engagement meeting in March.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) visited North Minneapolis in March to gather feedback from residents to reimagine Olson Memorial Highway. Renovation is scheduled for 2028. Residents said they were excited to finally scale down the 6-lane highway that has been harmful to the Northside since its asphalt was laid in the 1940s.
Resident Christi Sullivan said, “I go on walks with my daughter. I would love it if there were a day where I could tell her she’s old enough, and I can be confident that she’ll cross safely, but having to cross is scary even for myself.”
When conducting the study last summer, MnDOT received requests for safety when reimagining the highway and a unanimous desire from residents to create a roadway that allows communities to gather for local development. In a recent March meeting to gain feedback on designs, MN DOT revealed its top five priority features for the highway: walking and biking safety, vehicle safety, walking and biking mobility, and improving pavement condition.
Two ideas caught the eye of Bring Back 6th and community members. MnDOT’s Alternative options 2 and 4 reduce the highway to feature bus-only lanes, one two-way vehicle lane and separated bike lanes. MnDOT hopes it’s a step in the right direction.
“We're hoping to get enough community input and do enough technical analysis to create an Olson Memorial Highway that is representative of what people are looking for,” said Christina Perfetti, MnDOT West Area Coordinator.
MnDOT will be taking feedback on their current re-designs for the highway online until April 7. Click here to participate.
Click here for more information on the Bring Back 6th Campaign.