Sections of Minneapolis parkways to close to vehicles till end of May
Rachel Ryan
Sections of two parkways in Minneapolis will be pedestrian and biker only starting Monday until the end of May.
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation announced Thursday that Lake Harriet Parkway will be open for "walkers, bikers and rollers" and closed to vehicle traffic between West Minnehaha Parkway and West 43rd Street – a half mile stretch on the east of the lake.
The same will happen on the northbound lane of West River Parkway between 4th Avenue North and 11th Avenue South, a stretch of more than a mile near downtown Minneapolis.
The move is being taken to once again "allow more space for social distancing," which comes after numerous parkways in the city were shut down for vehicle traffic last spring in an effort to provide more walking and biking options in the city as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
Minneapolis Parks and Rec said that the trails adjacent to the two parkways have been busy this spring, and the virus remains a threat to public health.
The changes go into effect at 10 a.m. Monday.
"Allowing trail traffic to spread out into the parkways will allow greater separation of park users for social distancing as directed by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," it said.
