Curious why the 43rd & Upton intersection isn’t open to traffic yet?

Both the City of Minneapolis and Metro Transit have had active, simultaneous construction projects in the center of Linden Hills this summer. The intersection has been closed to vehicle traffic since May. Construction was supposed to wrap up mid-July, but now Metro Transit says it won’t be done until October.

“During utility work, the City’s contractor encountered conflicts with private utilities, requiring modifications to the storm sewer infrastructure at the intersection,” an email from Metro Transit to Linden Hill business owners reads from late June. “These modifications have resulted in additional work to replace water mains that are in conflict with the new storm sewer manholes being installed as part of the E Line project.”

The City has left the construction area and a Metro Transit contractor is finishing the work in its “continued partnership” with the City.

The construction project at 43rd and Upton is unique due to the joint endeavor between the City and Metro Transit, which was pitched to the local businesses as a strength of the project, according to Gina Rautenberg of the Linden Hills Neighborhood Council. But Rautenberg said the lack of a single point person has impacted communication with the surrounding community.

“There is not one single project manager who understands all the moving pieces and how any change or delay impacts the final timeline,” Rautenberg shared with Southwest Voices. “What could have been a win has instead led to a lot of confusion and lack of transparency as the timeline has slowed.”

The lack of a single project manager has also led to an absence of accountability about the numerous delays, with businesses and residents left unsure who to blame or direct their complaints to.

"Minneapolis acknowledges that the city and Metro Transit could have worked together better to communicate the schedule for all the projects collectively," Allen Henry, a spokesperson with the City of Minneapolis, said. Henry also told Southwest Voices that utility congestion within this intersection was anticipated.

Metro Transit is now holding roving office hours on Wednesdays during the noon hour at various locations along the E Line route. At its July 17 office hours at Jones Coffee, Karen Binkowski with the Southwest Business Association was in attendance to ask questions about the updated construction timeline. People who are interested in attending the office hours can sign up for the E Line weekly updates on the project website.

The owner of Great Harvest Bread Company, Steve Arnold, was in attendance and said that most businesses are “so frustrated they don’t even want to participate” in the office hours. His business is located at 4314 Upton Ave. S.

“That’s why the Southwest Business Association is here,” Binkowski replied.

A Linden Hills resident who said he was looking forward to riding the E Line to his job was also in attendance.

The Linden Hills Neighborhood Council and Southwest Business Association teamed up at the beginning of the construction project to host a Walk, Bike, Roll initiative that encouraged people to visit Linden Hills, home to 60 businesses, by any means other than car. The two organizations collected $3,500 in donations from local businesses and raffled them off to people who visited businesses by walking, biking, or rolling in.

“It’s not enough,” Arnold said. Binkowski estimated that some businesses are down 50 to 60% in sales since construction started.

“Metro Transit and the city of Minneapolis empathize with the affected businesses and residents, and we appreciate your patience,” Metro Transit said in its email to business owners in late June.

The Southwest Business Association is encouraging businesses to make a claim to the City if they have local revenue to specific issues from construction, such as water being shut off.

Metro Transit said that it would have a much clearer construction timeline for business owners on Aug. 1