Nicollet-Lake Kmart gap to reopen before Thanksgiving
Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street in Minneapolis is scheduled to reopen to traffic on November 24, 2026, pending weather, restoring a key downtown arterial ahead of Thanksgiving.[1]
City officials said any weather-related delay would likely push the reopening into the following week.[1] The reopening reunites a major artery severed in the late 1970s to make way for a Kmart superblock.[1] That Kmart burned on October 20, 2023 and was later torn down after the fire.[1]
The city's "New Nicollet" plan envisions hundreds of housing units, retail space and public plazas on the former Kmart block.[1] Minneapolis is soliciting developer bids for phase one while continuing community engagement on the project.[1] Officials say reopening the street aims to restore connectivity and set the stage for that development.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street is scheduled to reopen to traffic on November 24, 2026, pending weather, with any delay likely pushing it to the following week.
- The reopening reconnects a major Minneapolis arterial that was severed in the late 1970s to make way for a Kmart, which was later demolished after an October 20, 2023 fire and subsequent teardown.
- The city’s “New Nicollet” project envisions hundreds of housing units, retail, and public spaces on the former Kmart superblock, and Minneapolis is currently soliciting developer bids for phase one while continuing community engagement.
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