Minneapolis – Lake Street and Excelsior Boulevard
Scheduled Start Date: September 12, 2022
Project Resource(s)
If you contact CenterPoint Energy for any questions, please reference the project’s name or number 102348257.
Emergency shutdown of Excelsior Boulevard for Sept. 22
CenterPoint Energy’s crews detected the smell of natural gas within the project’s location on Excelsior Boulevard. Between Abbott Avenue S. and Market Plaza, Excelsior Boulevard is temporarily closed to eastbound and westbound traffic until the source of the smell is detected and the issue is resolved. The crew anticipates that this closure may last for several hours today on Thursday, September 22. We apologize for the sudden inconvenience as we're working as efficiently as we can.
Anticipated project completion and timeline
CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors have been progressing on the Lake Street and Excelsior Boulevard project. On Monday, September 19, a crew from Michels Corporation removed all lane closures from Lake Street. They put the new gas line in the ground on Market Plaza. Tomorrow on Friday, September 23, they will have activated this line with natural gas, and Q3 Contracting plans to restore Market Plaza between Lake Street and Excelsior Boulevard. The crews plan to open the entrance to Whole Foods from Market Plaza for this weekend.
On Monday, September 26, Michels Corporation plans to begin installing the gas line on Abbott Avenue S. Early in the week of September 26, the City of Minneapolis plans to restore Excelsior Boulevard from Market Plaza to Abbott Avenue S.
By Friday, September 30, Michels Corporation plans to finish installing all the project’s natural gas lines. By approximately Thursday, October 6, Q3 Contracting plans to finish restoring Abbott Avenue S.
We appreciate your patience as we’re working as efficiently as we can to finish this project.
Thank you for joining us for Q&A sessions on Sept. 13 and 14!
CenterPoint Energy spoke at two neighborhood meetings to inform Minneapolis constituents of the construction on Lake Street and Excelsior Boulevard.
We had a great time meeting you and hope we answered your questions!
What will CenterPoint Energy do?
For approximately five or six weeks beginning on Monday, September 12,
CenterPoint Energy’s authorized contractors will work in the City of Minneapolis. While Michels Corporation will install a natural gas main, Q3 Contracting will restore the areas affected by Michels Corporation’s work. The main will supply natural gas for West Lake Quarter’s new apartment building, which will be located at 3050 Abbott Avenue S. Work will take place along the following streets:
- Lake Street W. at Market Plaza
- Market Plaza from Excelsior Boulevard to Lake Street
- Excelsior Boulevard from Abbott Avenue S. to Market Plaza
- Abbott Avenue S. from Excelsior Boulevard to 31st Street W.
During construction, there will be lane closures on these streets to ensure the safety of the public and crews. Local access to properties will be maintained. Entrances to parking lots will remain open, with one exception. For approximately two weeks during Phase 2, the entrance to Whole Foods from Market Plaza will be closed, while the entrance from Excelsior Boulevard will remain open.
The crews are planning to work between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and on the Saturdays within October from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to expedite the work.
Access to Fire Station 22 will remain open.
Below is the project’s anticipated timeline. The dates are approximate and are subject to change based on the weather and the crew’s progress:
- Phase 1: Eight days at the intersection of Lake Street and Market Plaza. During this time, a westbound lane will be closed on Lake Street. During this time, the bus stop at the northwestern corner of Lake Street and Market Plaza, in addition to the two bus stops on Lake Street at Dean Parkway, will be closed.
- Phase 2: Two weeks on Market Plaza. During this time, two-way traffic will be maintained in the northbound lanes while the southbound lanes will be closed. The sidewalks on Market Plaza will remain open.
- Phase 3: Two or three weeks on Excelsior Boulevard. The northern sidewalk on Excelsior Boulevard will be closed from Abbott Avenue S. to Market Plaza.
- Phase 4: One week on Abbott Avenue S. This will begin after the work on Excelsior Boulevard is done.
