Nicollet Avenue to Reopen to Traffic Nov. 24
The Minneapolis street, severed for nearly 50 years, will officially reconnect between W. 28th and E. Lake streets.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Nicollet Avenue will officially reopen between W. 28th and E. Lake streets on Nov. 24, after being cut off for nearly 50 years following the opening of a Kmart at Lake Street in the 1970s. A preview celebration, the Reconnecting Nicollet Dance Party, was held Sunday in the East Street Crossing courtyard.
Why it matters
Reconnecting the street restores a north-south route through Minneapolis that had been blocked for decades. The city's plans for the former Kmart site are intended to shape how the surrounding neighborhood develops.
The former Kmart site covers 10 acres, and Nicollet Avenue had been cut off for nearly 50 years before the Nov. 24 reopening. The city has not yet detailed the timeline or funding for the planned redevelopment of the site.
The players
Dana McDill
A longtime resident who has lived near the area since the late 1980s and attended the reopening events.
The details
The reopened segment includes a repaved road, new sidewalks, bike ways, and an updated bridge over the Midtown Greenway. Local businesses and associations set up booths at Sunday's event, where city officials displayed artist renderings of the planned redevelopment.
Timeline
1970s: Kmart opened at Lake Street, severing Nicollet Avenue.
Sunday: Reconnecting Nicollet Dance Party held in the East Street Crossing courtyard.
Nov. 24: Nicollet Avenue officially reopens between W. 28th and E. Lake streets.
Market Landscape
The reopening of Nicollet Avenue reverses a 1970s retail development that severed the street, and the Kmart site's redevelopment into housing, nonprofit space, and a park shifts the area's use from big-box retail. The change follows the same pattern of big-box stores being replaced by mixed-use redevelopment on urban sites.
Drivers and pedestrians will regain a direct north-south connection along Nicollet Avenue between W. 28th and E. Lake streets once the reopening takes effect on Nov. 24. Residents near the Midtown Greenway and Lake Street can expect the route change to alter travel patterns in the area.
The takeaway
The reopening restores a long-blocked street connection in Minneapolis, and residents should watch for the city's timeline for the former Kmart site, which will determine how the land is ultimately used.
What happens next
Nicollet Avenue officially reopens between W. 28th and E. Lake streets on Nov. 24.
Further reading
For related coverage of new and closing businesses in the city, see Openings & Closings in Minneapolis.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Star Tribune.
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