Commuters in downtown Minneapolis will find a traffic change on Washington Avenue starting Monday and it's not likely to be pretty.

In fact, county officials are suggesting that drivers consider alternate routes such as Hennepin Avenue or Portland Avenue.

For the next 3 to 4 weeks, the intersection of 3rd Avenue S. at Washington Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in each direction as utility crews will be working in the area to relocate utilities.

Hennepin County, in coordination with the City of Minneapolis, is reconstructing Washington between Hennepin Avenue and 5th Avenue South. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of the 2017 construction season.