Martin Olav Sabo Bridge-Naming Ceremony
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On Sunday, May 18th, the recently constructed Midtown Greenway bridge over Hiawatha Avenue was officially renamed after former U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo. Community leaders —- including former Vice President Walter Mondale, Royal Norwegian Consulate General Rolf Hansen, Council Member Sandra Colvin Roy, City Council Member Gary Schiff, County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Transit for Livable Communities Executive Director Lea Schuster, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, Sabo, and his wife Sylvia — gathered at the west end of the bridge for a public celebration followed by a bike parade.
Sabo, who served in Congress from 1979 to 2007, helped secure federal money for many transportation initiatives that have helped make Minneapolis more bikable and walkable. These projects include the Midtown Greenway, Lake Street reconstruction, and the bridge that will now bear his name. The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge joins two ends of the Midtown Greenway, which stretches from the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes in the west to the Mississippi River in the east. Opening to traffic last November, the $5.1 million bridge carries bike and pedestrian traffic over Hiawatha Ave. and the light-rail transit line. This creates a safer and faster commute along the 5.7-mile greenway, making it an even more attractive transportation alternative to people in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.