MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The American Public Works Association - Minnesota Chapter (APWA-MN) has awarded the City of Minneapolis’ 4th Street Reconstruction Project the 2022 APWA-MN Project of the Year Honorable Mention Award. This award recognizes a project that maintains safety, uses innovative construction management, and has strong community relations throughout the duration of the project. APWA-MN also awarded the City of Pine River with an honorable mention recognition for the 2022 APWA-MN Environmental Stewardship Award. This award recognizes a project that demonstrates a commitment to environmental conservation or protection.4th Street is a high-volume corridor that serves as a direct freeway access point into and out of downtown Minneapolis. Despite its deteriorated condition, there are many high-profile destinations along the corridor, including city hall, the federal courthouse, Hennepin County Family Justice Center, Minneapolis Central Library, and Police Precinct No. 1. Because it has historically favored motor vehicles, the corridor had subpar facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The city wanted the corridor to better serve the multiple modes of traffic that use it daily. The main focus was transitioning the corridor from one that primarily served vehicles to one that better serves all modes of transportation and makes the infrastructure more equitable for all users.

The existing one-way, eastbound corridor originally accommodated a contraflow, westbound bus lane. This lane was decommissioned, and the affected Metro Transit routes were rerouted to parallel streets. This allowed the new roadway cross-section to better accommodate wider and more accessible sidewalks and a dedicated, separated two-way cycle track.

Eastbound bus service was enhanced with a wider thru-lane along the southerly curb line, a pull off lane at higher volume transit stops, and accommodations for future transit priority signals. Additionally, signals were enhanced to best meet the needs of traffic in the highly congested corridor through the incorporation of dedicated bike signals, video detection for left turn lanes, blank-out signs, changeable message signs, accessible pedestrian signals, and fiber optic interconnection.

The Pine River dam, built in 1910, created a reservoir within Pine River including the 500-acre Norway Lake. Trunk Highway 84, which was built on the dam embankment, included a concrete bridge to span the spillways of the dam. The dam was classified as high-hazard and was also a significant fish barrier. The primary goal of the Pine River project was to remove the high hazard dam and replace it with rock rapids to improve public safety, reduce flood risk, and reestablish aquatic organism connectivity.

In 2022, the dam was removed and replaced with a rock-arch rapids by the City of Pine River. Replacing the high hazard dam with a rock riffle enhanced fish passage, biological connectivity, habitat, safety, aesthetics, fishing, and recreational access to the river. The riffle pools and channels enhanced recreational opportunities for wading, fishing, paddling, and other water-based activities.

This work restored fish passage and connectivity between the Whitefish Chain of Lakes and reconnected 134 lakes (11,338 acres) and 80 miles of river and stream corridors benefitting fish, mussels, and many game and non-game animal species. Water levels up and downstream from the rock arch rapids will be similar to levels that would have resulted from operation of the gated spillways of the dam; however, the hazard and flood risk due to potential breaching of the dam during a flood is greatly reduced.

The city sought a concept that would maintain the reservoir, preserve and increase recreational functions, and have lower capital and long-term maintenance costs.