"This is the Tangletown neighborhood and it's called that for a reason." That's how Axios summed up the detour problem back in February, when the news broke that the Nicollet Avenue bridge over Minnehaha Creek would close for the better part of two years. The joke works because it's true. Tangletown got its name in 1996 precisely because its streets curve and double back instead of following the grid, and a neighborhood built on curves does not offer a convenient backup route when its one straight artery shuts down.
Five months into that closure, the story residents actually need is not "the bridge is closed." Everyone already knows that. The story is that two separate construction projects, one enormous and federally funded, one small and municipal, are running on opposite schedules this summer, and the smaller one is the one that fell behind.
The Bridge Everyone's Talking About
The Nicollet Avenue bridge is 103 years old, built in 1923 and last repaired in 1973. It carries an average of 14,000 vehicles a day, according to Axios's February 2026 reporting, and it's eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which is part of why the fix is a full rehabilitation rather than a teardown. The project carries a $55.2 million price tag, with $34.3 million of that covered by a federal grant secured in 2024.
Site preparation began February 23, 2026. The bridge closed to all traffic March 2, 2026. Estimates for when it reopens vary depending on which source you check: the city's own project page and the Tangletown Neighborhood Association both say the work runs through late 2027, while the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's announcement frames the closure as lasting "through fall 2027," and Axios's original report called it a two-year closure. Split the difference and you land somewhere in the second half of 2027, which is the honest answer until the city narrows it further.
What's notable, and this is the part that doesn't show up in the news coverage from February, is how the work is actually going. According to the neighborhood association's own May 18, 2026 annual meeting minutes, arches four through nine have already been removed and concrete rubble removal is ongoing. The person managing the project told residents at that meeting that the bridge work is currently ahead of schedule.
What's Already Open Again
If you haven't walked or biked the parkway lately, the detour picture has changed since spring. Minnehaha Parkway itself closed to vehicle traffic effective February 23, 2026, but the bike and pedestrian trails beneath the bridge had their own, shorter closure: April 24 through July 3, 2026. Those trails reopened over a month ago.
For drivers, the detours are still in effect and will be for a while:
- Westbound parkway traffic is routed on 50th Street to Lyndale Avenue.
- Eastbound parkway traffic uses the two-block parkway frontage road that runs alongside Nicollet.
- Pedestrians and cyclists coming up from the parkway trail are sent up the hill south of the bridge to cross at street level on Nicollet.
- Nicollet Avenue south of the bridge remains open to all businesses at all times, a detail the city has been explicit about precisely because that stretch includes working storefronts that depend on drive-by and walk-in traffic.
The park board has also committed to environmental safeguards during demolition, including a platform built over the creek to catch debris and a two-for-one tree replacement policy for any trees removed to make room for equipment.
The Smaller Project That Missed the Summer
Here's the part of the story that the bridge coverage buried. Fuller Park, the neighborhood's own recreation building and pool at 4800 Grand Avenue South, has been going through its own repair this year, on a much smaller scale and a much tighter deadline.
Per the same May 2026 annual meeting minutes, demolition on the Fuller Park building was just finishing as of mid-May. The stated goal was to get the building repaired before students head back to school this fall. In the meantime, the pool and bathrooms have been closed for the entire summer, and exterior improvements have been pushed out to 2027.
Set the two projects side by side and the contrast is hard to miss. The bridge is a $55.2 million, multi-agency undertaking with a federal grant, a two-year construction window, and biweekly stakeholder meetings, and it's currently running ahead of its own timeline. Fuller Park is a neighborhood building with a single summer's worth of work to do, and it's the one that couldn't finish before the season it was supposed to serve.
None of this is a criticism of either project team. Big infrastructure jobs sometimes benefit from the discipline that comes with federal oversight and public reporting requirements. Small municipal repairs don't always get the same scrutiny, and the person managing the bridge told the association's own annual meeting he's now coordinating with contractors on where their equipment should park, which suggests logistics squeeze is real on both sides of the creek. The point for anyone living here is simpler: don't assume the biggest project on paper is the one running the latest.
Where the Neighborhood Still Gathers
Despite all of that, the parts of Tangletown that depend on people showing up in person didn't skip a beat. The Tangletown Summer Party and Movie in the Park went ahead as planned at Fuller Park on Saturday, July 26, with live music from Dive Bar Orchestra from 6 to 8 p.m. and a sunset screening of Moana 2 around 8:45. This year added a board game and puzzle swap and an all-ages free throw contest, with $8 wristbands and $2 tickets sold at the event to help fund the association's work for the rest of the year.
The event's sponsor list is a good snapshot of who keeps Tangletown functioning through a construction season: Café Ena, Ace Hardware, St. Paul Bagelry, and Wise Acre all had a hand in making recent events possible, according to the association's own meeting notes. None of those businesses depend on the bridge being open or the pool being wet. They're a few blocks off the construction zone, and that proximity without dependence is part of why the neighborhood's daily rhythm has held up even with a century-old bridge in pieces across the creek.
What This Means Through the Rest of 2026
If you live in Tangletown, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The parkway trails are open again, so the walk or ride to Lake Harriet is back to normal. The vehicle detours around Nicollet are here for a while longer, likely into the second half of 2027 based on the range of estimates the city and park board have given. And Fuller Park's pool, closed for the season, is aiming to have its building back in shape before school starts, with the outdoor work following next year.
The two projects will keep overlapping through the rest of this year and probably into next. Knowing which one is ahead and which one is behind is the difference between mild irritation and genuinely useful planning, whether that means picking a different route to work or knowing not to expect the pool back before Labor Day.
For a fuller picture of what makes these streets what they are, from the water tower on the hill to the curving lots that gave the neighborhood its name, our Tangletown neighborhood guide covers the rest of the ground.
If you're weighing a move in or around Southwest Minneapolis and want a read on how a neighborhood like this one actually functions day to day, construction season included, Josh Zuehlke & Co is happy to talk it through. Contact us anytime.
