Central Avenue is getting a top-to-bottom makeover, and the plan calls for something Twin Cities drivers aren't used to seeing on a state highway: roundabouts. The proposal would rebuild the corridor from the Mississippi River in northeast Minneapolis through Columbia Heights and into Fridley, cutting a general-purpose lane in each direction in some stretches, adding dedicated bus lanes, and replacing several dangerous intersections with circular traffic flow. Columbia Heights' City Council is expected to vote on the project at its Sept. 14 meeting, one of the final approvals needed before the state can move forward.
The reconstruction, first detailed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, is split into two parts: an $85 million segment covering 3.6 miles of northeast Minneapolis, and a $55.8 million segment covering the roughly two-mile stretch through Anoka County from 37th to 53rd avenues. Minneapolis is estimated to pay about $6.2 million toward its portion, while Columbia Heights would contribute roughly $1 million — money that would mostly fund a new traffic signal at 43rd Avenue — and Fridley would pay $423,000 for the northern project. Under Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.162–161.167, the Minnesota Legislature notes that MnDOT cannot finalize a trunk highway layout without municipal consent when a plan alters access, changes traffic capacity or requires permanent right-of-way, which is why the project needs sign-off from both Minneapolis and Columbia Heights before crews can move in. Fridley's council has already approved the project.
Why Roundabouts Are Central to the Safety Case
The push for roundabouts is rooted in the corridor's crash history. Central Avenue has some of Minnesota's most dangerous intersections, and Chris Bower said the magnitude of crashes on the roadway is disturbing, especially in Columbia Heights, according to the Star Tribune. Bower added that fatal and serious crashes on Central from 40th to 47th avenues occur at five times MnDOT's critical rate. Separately, MnDOT's own corridor study found that Columbia Heights recorded 12 serious injury or fatal pedestrian crashes along Central Avenue between 2015 and 2022, and only two of those involved a pedestrian crossing against a signal.
MnDOT's plan responds to that record with two single-lane roundabouts at 46½ and 47th avenues, plus multi-lane roundabouts farther north at 49th, 51st and 53rd avenues, where traffic volumes climb. The agency will maintain two lanes in each direction at 49th Avenue. Per Bower, crashes at roundabouts tend to be less serious than crashes at traditional intersections, and roundabouts also make pedestrian crossings easier. A MnDOT report cited in the plan found that roundabouts reduce serious and fatal crashes by more than 80%, and Bower called them a proven safety countermeasure for fatal and serious crashes, the Star Tribune reported.
Can the Road Handle the Traffic?
The single-lane roundabouts are designed to handle up to 1,400 vehicles per hour, according to MnDOT traffic data, which comfortably covers the corridor's current peak volume of 1,093 vehicles per hour between 37th and 49th avenues — even though the road carries 18,000 to 22,000 vehicles daily overall. MnDOT's traffic modeling projects that shrinking Central Avenue from four lanes to two general-purpose lanes between 37th and 53rd avenues would add 40 to 45 seconds to peak-hour driving commutes while cutting 30 to 90 seconds off bus travel times over the same stretch, with non-peak direction traffic seeing only a 5-to-15-second increase.
To address concerns about similar lane reductions elsewhere, MnDOT pointed to comparable Minnesota “road diet” projects, including Maryland Avenue in St. Paul, which carries 21,000 to 23,000 vehicles daily, and Broadway Street NE in Minneapolis, which carries 19,000 to 24,000 vehicles daily. The agency says overhead signs will direct drivers around the roundabouts, and it plans extra outreach on how to navigate them once construction begins. MnDOT has also been meeting with business owners along the corridor about construction and the planned changes.
Buses, Bike Lanes and a Cul-de-Sac
Transit is central to the redesign. MnDOT will add a northbound bus lane from 37th to 46th avenues, timed to the fact that northbound traffic sees higher volume during the evening commute, per Bower. The northeast Minneapolis segment also includes turn lanes and bus lanes, while the broader plan adds bus stops, pedestrian crossings, protected bike lanes and shared-use paths along the corridor. The project is designed to accommodate Metro Transit's planned METRO F Line, and as Streets.mn has reported, the transit agency intentionally delayed the 13-mile, $98 million bus rapid transit project from its original 2025 start date to 2028 so its 32 planned stations between downtown Minneapolis and the Northtown Transit Center in Blaine could be built alongside MnDOT's roadway overhaul rather than disrupting the corridor twice.
That coordination matters because of who rides the bus route the F Line will largely replace. Metro Transit data shows bus speeds on Route 10 frequently drop to 10 mph or slower during rush hours on Central Avenue amid traffic congestion, signals, and frequent boardings, even though it ranks among the region's top five highest-ridership routes. Rider surveys cited by Streets.mn found that about 60% of Route 10 riders are people of color, 40% live in low-income households and 20% identify as living with a disability — figures that underpin the transit-equity rationale for prioritizing bus lanes along the corridor.
One local change tied to the project: Reservoir Boulevard will become a cul-de-sac at 37th Avenue and will be closed off to Central Avenue at that intersection. Rochelle Widmer said Central Avenue is a dining destination and major transportation corridor, and that the city hopes to improve its safety, according to the Star Tribune. The corridor is also home to the 77-year-old Ideal Diner in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities' oldest movie theater, located in Columbia Heights.
Timeline and What Comes Next
Under MnDOT's official project schedule, final design refinement continues through 2027, with physical construction beginning in spring 2028 and running through 2029. Minneapolis has already held a public hearing on the proposal, and Columbia Heights' upcoming Sept. 14 vote is one of the remaining approvals MnDOT needs before finalizing the layout. Two related projects will follow close behind: reconstruction of University Avenue in Minneapolis is expected to start in 2027, while the University Avenue rebuild from Columbia Heights north to Blaine is expected to start in 2029.
The Central Avenue work is also part of a much larger overhaul of the Highway 65 corridor. Hoodline has previously reported on Blaine's $201 million project further north, which will replace signalized intersections with grade-separated interchanges as part of the same highway's broader transformation across Anoka and Hennepin counties.
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