Hennepin County authorizes preliminary design for multiyear Wayzata Boulevard reconstruction

Hennepin County has authorized preliminary design and engineering for the future reconstruction of County State Aid Highway 101, also known as Wayzata Boulevard/Central Avenue, between Gleason Lake Road and Byrondale Avenue.

The county approved a professional-services agreement with Bolton & Menk Inc. on June 23, 2026. The agreement covers work from August 3, 2026, through October 31, 2028, and is capped at $1.4 million.

The action begins formal engineering for a multiyear reconstruction of a principal Wayzata-area route. Hennepin County is leading the project in partnership with the City of Wayzata.

What the approval does — and does not do

The approved agreement is for preliminary design, engineering and related professional services. It does not mean the CSAH 101 corridor is under construction, and the $1.4 million maximum is the design agreement rather than the eventual construction budget.

The reviewed county action does not establish final construction dates or a final construction cost. It also does not provide the final lane, sidewalk, transit or detour design. Those details may affect residents, commuters and local businesses as the county and city continue design and public-engagement decisions.

For now, drivers should not treat the approval as a notice of immediate reconstruction. The engineering period extends more than two years, through October 31, 2028, while future construction and traffic-control decisions remain unsettled.

Separate road work is scheduled nearby

Wayzata-area drivers also have other road work to track, but the projects are separate. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has scheduled reconstruction and repair work on Highway 12 between Shoreline Drive in Wayzata and I-494 in Minnetonka. MnDOT says that work is planned from April through November 2026 and includes a weekend closure in each direction.

The City of Wayzata separately posted an overnight closure notice for utility work at 720 Wayzata Boulevard. Westbound Wayzata Boulevard was scheduled to close between Broadway Avenue South and Chicago Avenue South from 10 p.m. July 8 to 8 a.m. July 9. The city advised drivers to follow detours and allow extra travel time.

That one-night utility closure and the Highway 12 project should not be combined with the future CSAH 101 reconstruction. The next known phase for the Wayzata Boulevard/Central Avenue project is preliminary engineering beginning August 3, 2026, followed by continued design work through October 31, 2028.