Minneapolis, Minnesota

:This article is about the city in Minnesota, USA. There are two other cities named Minneapolis in the United States: Minneapolis, Kansas and Minneapolis, North Carolina. For an overview of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, see Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Transportation

A system of "skyways" (small, fully enclosed pedestrian bridges) link the buildings across more than 60 city blocks downtown region, providing a way to travel around the city without being exposed to the cold of winter or the heat of summer. The system is widely used by the daytime worker population, who are able to move around without their coats and other outdoor gear all day long. The street-level foot traffic is greatly reduced (especially as the outdoor temperature dips) and many businesses that would normally be located at ground level in other cities are instead brought up to the second floor. In fact, the interconnected passageways that include restaurants and retailers are sometimes considered as one of the largest shopping centers in the Twin Cities (though most businesses in the skyways close down at night and on the weekend).

Related Topics:
Skyway - Coat - Restaurant - Retailer - Shopping center - Weekend

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Historically, Minneapolis and St. Paul provided some of the earliest rail passages across the Mississippi River, which widens downriver where the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi. Today, rail traffic through the city is diminished, and some of the old bridges such as the Stone Arch Bridge have been converted for bicycle and pedestrian use. These link into the extensive park and trail system of the city.

Related Topics:
St. Paul - St. Croix River - Stone Arch Bridge - Bicycle - Pedestrian

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Most residents of Minneapolis get around the region by car, and a number of highways snake through the city. Minneapolis and St. Paul are the junction points between Interstate 94 and Interstate 35. I-35 splits into two parts when entering the metro area. The western half, I-35W, goes through downtown Minneapolis. The I-394 spur connects the downtown region to western suburbs. Two spurs from I-94, I-494 and I-694, make a loop around the metro area, but do not pass through the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul.

Related Topics:
Car - Interstate 94 - Interstate 35 - I-35W - I-394 - I-494 - I-694

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Only two U.S. highways pass through the city, but they are unmarked. Interstate 394 is largely an upgraded segment of U.S. Highway 12 which comes into the city from the western and then joins I-94 to follow that road around downtown and into St. Paul. U.S. Highway 52 follows Interstate 94 north of the metro area, so it is considered to follow that all of the way through the city today, though it had originally been routed along surface streets and along University Avenue between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Related Topics:
U.S. highway - U.S. Highway 12 - U.S. Highway 52 - University Avenue

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Minnesota state highways include:

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• Minnesota State Highway 47 (Minneapolis to Aitkin) enters the city from the North as University Avenue
• Minnesota State Highway 55 (Tenney to Hastings) passes through Minneapolis as Olson Memorial Highway and Hiawatha Avenue.
• Minnesota State Highway 62 (Eden Prairie to Fort Snelling) runs along the southern edge of the city as the Crosstown Highway
• Minnesota State Highway 65 (Minneapolis to Littlefork) follows Central Avenue through Northeast Minneapolis, then as Washington, 4th, and 5th Avenues though downtown Minneapolis
• Minnesota State Highway 77 (Apple Valley to Minneapolis) ends as it enters the city from the south as Cedar Avenue.
• Minnesota State Highway 121 (Richfield to Minneapolis) is a spur that connects Interstate 35W with Lyndale Avenue in South Minneapolis.

The city is served by air with the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, which is at the southeast corner of the city off of Minnesota State Highway 5. The airport is also bordered by Saint Paul, Bloomington, and Richfield. It is the home base of Northwest Airlines.

Related Topics:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport - Minnesota State Highway 5 - Richfield - Northwest Airlines

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Many households depend on public transit and the occasional taxi to get around. For some, this is a strictly economic decision, but many people in the city choose to forgo having an automobile in favor of biking, walking, or taking the bus. The transit system is descended from an extensive streetcar network that was operated by Twin City Rapid Transit until the streetcars were totally removed and replaced by buses in the 1950s. It is fair to say that the city was built on the rail lines (like numerous other American cities), since the owners of the streetcar system invested heavily in real estate and intentionally built rails out to their land to spur development.

Related Topics:
Public transit - Taxi - Bus - Streetcar - Twin City Rapid Transit - 1950s - Real estate

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TCRT's descendant is Metro Transit, which runs most of the area's buses and has begun operation of a light rail system, the Hiawatha Line, which has proved to be popular. The line opened its first and second phases to the public in 2004, connecting the airport and Bloomington's Mall of America into downtown. A number of other rail projects including new commuter rail lines linking the city to the suburbs are in the planning stages, and the city council has officially begun "explor the feasibility of bringing back a streetcar system." http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/ward9/docs/Streetcar-resl-2004R-317.pdf Some bus rapid transit lines are also likely to be built in the coming years.

Related Topics:
Metro Transit - Light rail - Hiawatha Line - 2004 - Bloomington - Mall of America - Commuter rail - Bus rapid transit

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Over the last twenty years, the system of bicycle trails has expanded from a long-standing system of recreational trails, the Grand Rounds, to include a network of on-street bike lanes and an increasing number of commuter trails. Minneapolis is one of the most heavily-biked cities in the country, with an average level of 10,000 people riding daily for commuting and recreation (there are significant seasonal variations, but many people bike year-round).

Related Topics:
Bicycle - Grand Rounds

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