Case study | Transportation
Bryant Avenue South Reconstruction
Details
Owner
City of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Client
Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Total Project Cost
Estimated $20.5 Million
Status
Completed 2024
Summary
Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) provided transportation engineering services to the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota for the reconstruction of approximately 2.5 miles of Bryant Avenue South between West Lake Street and West 50th Street. The project’s goal was to improve the poor pavement quality, safety, pedestrian access, and operations of the roadway. In addition, the project incorporated green initiatives by collecting and treating stormwater runoff and supported development of both existing and future transit service in the area.
The existing Bryant Avenue had two traffic lanes and two parking lanes, one in each direction. The area along the project corridor includes a range of residential densities (many multi-family properties in the north half and single-family properties in the south half) with commercial properties at many intersections. The roadway included a sidewalk on both sides and “sharrow” bicycle markings, but lacked dedicated bicycle lanes although the corridor was designated as a bicycle route. It’s estimated that 150 – 500 bicyclists use the roadway each day. In addition, five Metro Transit routes serve Bryant Avenue, with nearly 3,000 people accessing transit along the roadway on an average weekday.
Project
The redesign of the roadway included making Bryant Avenue South a converging one-way street (a southbound one-way portion paired with a northbound one-way portion). The reconstruction design also consisted of installing a two-way bicycle trail on Bryant Avenue South and moving transit services to Lyndale Avenue South.
The project was a full reconstruction, involving the entire right-of-way and included new sidewalks, ADA pedestrian ramps, bicycle accommodations, pavement, curb and gutter, and utility improvements. The project also included traffic signal improvements, new signage, and new pavement markings. KEG was responsible for preparation of final design plans for signage placement and messaging, sign design per MN MUTCD, roadway striping consistent with preliminary layout, revised lane configuration, transit stops, loading/unloading zones, and on-street parking zones. A major design change accelerated the schedule and KEG was able to meet the demands for deliverables for the City to ensure the project stayed on track.
