The design would be attractive using an urban design concept for the whole project and would incorporate ornamental lighting, trees, tile, etc. A citizens committee advised the City of Minneapolis on the project between 1992-1993. Roger Plum explained the flow of traffic at the intersection and how the lights would work. The lights at this intersection are traffic actuated. Pedestrians will have to press a button to get a walk signal.
Movement is skipped if there are no vehicles waiting.
The maximum number of lanes that would need to be crossed on Hiawatha would be two before a pedestrian would come to an island. It is estimated that a pedestrian will be able to get halfway across Hiawatha in 33 seconds. The shortest light will be 25 seconds. The walking time to cross Hiawatha is 83 seconds. The longest it would take to cross, allowing for lights, would be 2 minutes.