County Road 81 Reconstruction Begins Wednesday
Construction beginning Wednesday, July 31 will improve County Road 81 or Bottineau Boulevard for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians.
Crews will close the section of road between 71st Avenue and Brooklyn Boulevard for the rest of the summer. Hennepin County urges drivers to drive slowly through the area and detour on West Broadway or Winnetka Avenues.
Bottineau Boulevard Reconstruction
Crews will replace both pavement and utilities in a multi-year sprucing-up of County Road 81. You can already see improvements to the road in cities south of Brooklyn Park.
For pedestrians and bikers, the improvements could make the busy roadway a safer place. There will be sidewalk curb replacements, accessible pedestrian signals, and countdown timers. For people biking, the Crystal Lake Regional Trail will be extended along Bottineau Boulevard and shared paths added along Brooklyn Boulevard.
“We will be making improvements right here at this corner,” said Colin Cox, a Hennepin County transportation spokesperson. He gestured toward Brooklyn Boulevard and Bottineau Boulevard. “In terms of this intersection, we are putting in accessible signals and countdown timers and things like that that help people who are trying to cross an important intersection like this.”
Hennepin County expects this phase of reconstruction to wrap up in November.
The next phase of the project will begin in spring or summer next year and will include closing the Bottineau and Brooklyn Boulevard intersection. Bottineau Boulevard will be closed to through traffic and Brooklyn Boulevard will be closed from Xylon Avenue to the east of Jolly Lane.
In the fall of 2020, construction will continue from Brooklyn Boulevard to 83rd Avenue.
To learn more about these projects, click here.
