The City of Minneapolis is gearing up to start construction at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue — the intersection where George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. In a public meeting Monday, city staff said they plan to break ground in June.
The rebuilding plan was approved by the City Council in December after years of debate over what to do with the site. The final plan calls for roads open to two-way traffic and maintains the existing roundabout design in the middle of the intersection, with space set aside for memorials.
Construction this year will cover phase one of the project: roadways and sidewalks on 38th Street to the east of the intersection, and on Chicago Avenue south of the intersection. The remaining blocks, and the intersection at the heart of the square, will be rebuilt during phase two in 2027.
At a public meeting Monday, city staff said they’re adding details on detours and schedules to the city’s project website, as well as launching a weekly email newsletter with construction updates.
Mary Altman is the Minneapolis public arts administrator. At Monday’s community meeting, she said city staff are making plans to preserve art currently in the square.
“The city's goal is to make sure that we have an active memorial space at all times during construction,” Altman said.
Some of the artwork — like the iconic raised fist sculptures surrounding the square and at its center — will be temporarily relocated during construction. Altman said city staff are working to plan the relocation with artists behind some of the other art in the square, including Mari Mansfield, the artist who created the list of names of victims of police violence on Chicago Avenue.
Some local residents and activists say they’re still frustrated with the project as the city prepares to break ground.
Currently, community members and local activists keep up the square’s many memorials and artworks, plus regular gatherings and events. Several of those involved protested the city’s plan for reconstruction and say it’s not the city’s place to decide the future of a site where its officer killed Floyd.
A group of community members drafted their own plan for reconstruction, which called for more pedestrian-only space and one-way traffic on a stretch of Chicago Avenue.
George Floyd Square’s lead caretaker Jeanelle Austin said she wanted the city to give more consideration to that plan.
“It's fair to say in the community that there is a desire for the infrastructure changes, but what that change looks like is a different imagination, I think, that the community has put forth from what public works desires,” Austin said.
The City Council considered building a pedestrian-only plaza in the intersection but ultimately voted against it. A public works study that said the project would take several years and raise logistical and legal challenges, and several community members and business owners pushed the council to keep the streets open.
City staff say the intersection is due for regularly slated construction to replace aging infrastructure and lead pipes. In rounds of surveys and community meetings dating back to 2022, many residents and business owners in the mixed-use intersection said they wanted new streets that kept traffic, plus alleyway and driveway access.
The approved plan will also add a sidewalk-level bike lane on Chicago Avenue south of 38th Street. It calls for a wide pedestrian space in front of Unity Foods — formerly Cup Foods — where Floyd was killed, so cars don’t drive over the spot.
The streets at the center of the intersection will be raised to sidewalk level, and the city plans to install gates so the streets can be easily closed to traffic for events.
The city is holding another public meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Phelps Park.
