Project officials outline Rice Street reconstruction plans for 2026 and promise business access

Rice Street project officials presented plans for the 2026 construction season in a virtual briefing, saying crews will rebuild the roadway between Pennsylvania Avenue and Wheelock Parkway in staged segments and maintain access to businesses during work.

"It's a full roadway reconstruction, and we're taking those four lanes into three lanes," said Ashleigh Rosa, the project's construction engineer, describing a conversion to two travel lanes with a center turn lane and a ten-foot shared-use path on the west side of Rice Street to accommodate bicyclists. She added the project includes ADA improvements, upgraded transit stations, enhanced drainage and additional snow storage to shorten pedestrian crossings.

Organizers said stage two will start in spring 2026 between Maryland Avenue and Sycamore Street, with Pennsylvania Avenue reconstruction also occurring this year and the Sycamore-to-Pennsylvania segment (including the railroad bridge) slated for next year. Officials said the earlier contract was expedited so crews can complete more work in 2026 and reduce impacts in 2027.

Project staff said they will split the corridor into multiple work segments and run overlapping operations to keep production moving. "You can expect that to start right away in the spring and go through late summer for that segment," Rosa said of the Maryland-to-Cook Avenue work. She said Maryland Avenue will be closed for a short duration of "a few weeks," and that east-west travel on Pennsylvania will be maintained by working one half of the intersection at a time.

Greg Weber, who said he works for Bolton & Menk and serves as an in-person communications contact, described his role as a "two-way communications conduit," offering to respond to concerns in person and gather photos or details residents provide.

To reduce business disruption, the team will post detour routes and offer custom access maps showing how to reach storefronts and parking during construction. Officials described two primary detours while Maryland work is active: a route from Pennsylvania to I-35 to Larpenteur and a Dale Street option from Larpenteur to Dale that will later route to Como to reconnect with Pennsylvania; detours will be tightened after the Maryland intersection reopens.

Communications staff said all presentation materials are available as PDFs on the project website and that printed copies can be delivered to businesses on request. "We have one that just says, 'We are open during construction' to encourage people to keep visiting your business," said Abigail Blonigen, the engagement specialist who manages the Rice Street Hotline, adding that social graphics and detour maps are available for download and can be emailed to businesses.

Blonigen also said the project provides translated overview flyers in Spanish, Somali, Hmong and Karen and can translate custom access maps on request. She pointed attendees to a Rice Street–specific business and property owner toolkit hosted on Ramsey County's website and to Ramsey County's broader business relief landing page for additional assistance options.

The presentation concluded with organizers encouraging businesses and residents to sign up for e-blasts and to use the hotline or project email for questions or requests for printed materials. The project team said they will keep stakeholders updated throughout the construction season.