Has Minneapolis spent billions of dollars on bike lanes?

Recently, people have speculated on social media and in a readers forum in the Minnesota Star Tribune about how much Minneapolis has spent on bike lanes and infrastructure. Claims have ranged from more than $1 billion in total to $4 billion in 2024 alone. 

The city says these claims are highly inflated. 

In an email to MinnPost, a Minneapolis spokesperson clarified that over the past ten years, the city has spent about $25.6 million on bikeway projects. That does not include spending on biking infrastructure during street reconstructions, which the city said adds only a “small amount” to overall project costs. 

Minneapolis has a robust bike infrastructure built out through city, state and federal initiatives. The city was one of four communities that received funding through the 2008 Federal Highway Administration’s Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program – a total amount of $25 million that was spent in the region over a 10-year period.