Crosstown closure and lane restrictions on I-35W will be weekend's biggest traffic disruptions

The first weekend of fall will have drivers seeing plenty of orange around the metro area, especially along the Crosstown as the Minnesota Department of Transportation closes the eastbound lanes from Interstate 494 to Hwy. 100. Next weekend the westbound lanes close.

Interstate 35W drivers will find lane reductions between northeast Minneapolis and Roseville while Interstate 94 in both directions shuts down from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. Motorists who use Shepard Road under St. Paul's High Bridge will be on detour Saturday and Sunday.

A party will have Nicollet Avenue vehicle free on Sunday afternoon. The south Minneapolis thoroughfare will be a beehive of activity between Lake Street and 46th Street. Bikers, walkers, skateboarders and parents pushing strollers take over as another edition of Minneapolis Open Streets runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Buses will fill in for Green Line trains from 8:45 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Saturday between the Capital/Rice Street Station and Union Depot in St. Paul.

The sports calendar features the Vikings hosting the Bills at noon Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The Wild has a preseason game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul at 5 p.m. Saturday while the Loons have a match at TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Look for closures along Godfrey and West River parkways in Minneapolis during Saturday's National Alliance on Mental Illness walks.

Here is a round up of this weekend's road construction:

1. Interstate 35W: Southbound lanes closed from County Road C to NE. 4th Street from 7 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday. Two lanes will be closed on the northbound side from 4th Street to County Road C from 7 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Sunday. Reduced to two southbound lanes from downtown to 43rd Street. Northbound is two lanes plus a MnPASS lane up to 31st Street, then third general traffic lane open to 3rd Street. MnPASS northbound open to 31st Street. This set up will be in place until late 2019. Ramps from northbound I-35W to 11th Street and 5th Avenue and to from 12th Street/4th Avenue to southbound closed.

2. Interstate 94: Reduced to two lanes between Chicago and Portland Avenues.

3.Hennepin Avenue S.: Closed from Lake to 36th streets.

4. NE Broadway Street: Closed from Stinson Boulevard to Industrial Boulevard.

5. University and Central avenues NE.: Watch for four-way stops and limited access to side streets at Broadway Street and University Avenue, and on Central Avenue at University Avenue, SE. 2nd Street, Spring Street and St. Anthony Boulevard.

6. Wabasha Street and Washington Street: Wabasha closed from Plato Boulevard to Cesar Chavez Street. Westbound Kellogg Blvd. closed 7th Street to Washington Street.

7. Hwy. 149/Smith Avenue: The High Bridge over the Mississippi River is closed until December. Intersection of Hwy. 149/Dodd Road at Delaware Avenue in Mendota Heights closed.

East metro

8. Hwy. 95 in Afton: Closed both directions between Bailey Road and 70th Street.

North metro

10. Hwy. 10 in Elk River: Reduced to one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes between Waco Street and Upland Avenue.

11. Brooklyn Boulevard in Brooklyn Center: Lane restrictions between 49th Avenue N. and Hwy. 100.

South metro

12. Hwy. 3 in Inver Grove Heights: Closed in both directions from County Road 26 to 60th Street, and Hwy. 149 and 55. The intersection of Hwy 3 and Rich Valley Rd/County Road 71 is closed.

13. 66th Street in Richfield: Closed to through traffic between Humboldt and Portland avenues S.

15. Interstate 35W in Bloomington: Alternating lane closures between 106th Street and Cliff Road. After 10 p.m. the freeway may be reduced to a single lane until 6 a.m. the following day.

West metro

16. Hwy. 55 in Golden Valley: Right lane closed in both directions from Schaper Road to Theodore Wirth Parkway.

17. Crosstown Hwy. 62 in Edina: Eastbound lanes closed from 8 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday from I-494 to Hwy. 100.