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Minneapolis traffic cams: Where new speed cameras will be placed

By
Published  July 15, 2025 12:17pm CDT
Traffic
FOX 9
Cameras will catch Minnesota speeders starting this summer

Cameras will catch Minnesota speeders starting this summer

Two Minnesota cities plan to start issuing speeding tickets from traffic cameras this summer. A 2024 law allows Mendota Heights and Minneapolis to test run traffic safety camera programs.

The Brief

    • Minneapolis has revealed the locations for its first five traffic safety cameras that will detect speed.
    • They're spread across the city near intersections of concern, although none of them are going in the deadliest intersection nor the one with the most consistently speeding drivers.
    • City leaders say their goal is to decrease dangerous driving, not to create revenue. They say other cities have seen speeding decrease by at least 65% in areas with traffic safety cameras.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Technology will be tracking your speed at five Minneapolis locations starting in September.

On Tuesday, the city’s traffic team announced the first spots for safety cameras and plans to expand the program over the next four years.

New traffic cameras

The backstory:

During the 2024 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature approved pilot programs allowing the City of Minneapolis and Mendota Heights to test traffic cameras between August 2025 and July 2029. The legislation allowed the cities to set up both red light and speeding enforcement cameras.

Last week, the Minneapolis City Council approved a contract with vendor NovoaGlobal to run the traffic cameras program. Mayor Jacob Frey signed that contract on Tuesday.

Where are red light and speed cameras in Minneapolis?

What we know:

On Tuesday, the City of Minneapolis announced the first locations for traffic safety cameras in the city.

As of now, the city has selected five spots for cameras, including:

  • Fremont Avenue North near West Broadway Avenue North
  • 18th Avenue Northeast near Central Avenue Northeast
  • 3rd Street North near 1st Avenue North
  • Chicago Avenue South near Franklin Avenue East
  • Nicollet Avenue South near 46th Street West

The city plans to add 11 more cameras in early 2026. Those locations will include:

  • Fremont Avenue North near Dowling Avenue North
  • Lyndale Avenue North near 26th Avenue
  • Hennepin Avenue South near 7th Street
  • 15th Avenue Southeast near 5th Street Southeast
  • 5th Avenue South near 6th Street South
  • Nicollet Avenue South near Franklin Avenue West
  • 26th Street East near Cedar Avenue South
  • Blaisdell Avenue South near 27th Street West
  • Chicago Avenue South near 46th Street East
  • 28th Avenue South near Minnehaha Parkway East
  • 54th Street West near Lyndale Avenue South

Why cameras?

Dangerous driving::

Speed kills in Minneapolis, contributing to an average of 15 deadly crashes in each of the last three years.

So the city signed a potential $12 million contract for four years of traffic safety cameras.

They've said the cameras could end up paying for themselves, but that's not their endgame.

"Our goal isn't to send out citations or generate revenue," said Minneapolis Vision Zero (traffic deaths) coordinator Ethan Fawley. "The goal is to change that unsafe behavior."

The city tried this two decades ago, but the state Supreme Court shut it down for not having legislative authority.

Now they got it for a four-year pilot program.

Tiny tickets

Small fines::

The first time speed cameras catch a driver at more than 10 mph above the speed limit, they’ll get a warning.

After that, it’s $40 per ticket and $80 if you’re more than 20 mph too fast — still a lot cheaper than most speeding tickets immediately and long-term.

"These ones do not go anybody's record," said Ahmed Adow, the city's traffic control director. "It will not increase anybody's insurance. It's a parking ticket."

Other cities have seen significantly less speeding after adding cameras.

But there are some concerns.

Commercial drivers will get their records dinged.

And city leaders still hear anxiety about Big Brother.

"The cameras can only record information if they sense a violation," said Fawley. "They can only be used for enforcing speeding or red light running. They can't be used for anything else. They cannot take a picture of anyone and have them be personally identifiable."

Where else?:

Mendota Heights will actually get the first traffic safety camera up and running on Aug. 1 and their city council is discussing the location on Tuesday night.

Minneapolis is the only other city approved to test this out.

MNDoT will also use them in work zones, but only five out warnings.

All the agencies plan to share information about what works and maybe what doesn’t.

What's next:

Minneapolis City officials say the cameras will be placed in September with drivers receiving warnings during the first month. The city will likely begin sending citations in October.

The Source: This story uses information from the City of Minneapolis and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

TrafficMinneapolisCrime and Public Safety