Dignitaries from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the City of St. Louis Park will turn the dirt during a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off a project that will bring a new diamond interchange to the intersection of Hwy. 7 and Louisiana Avenue.
Festivities began at 9 a.m. Wednesday on the southwest corner of Hwy. 7 and Louisiana Avenue.
Drivers can expect temporary lane closurers, detours and congestion during construction, which will continue through the fall of 2014.
The $25.2 million project will include the following:
- Convert the existing intersection into an interchange and remove the current traffic lights
- Construct a diamond interchange with a Hwy. 7 bridge spanning Louisiana Avenue
- Add roundabouts on Louisiana Avenue at the Lake Street and Walker Street intersections
- Reconfigure West Lake Street and Walker Street
- Add pedestrian and bicycle upgrades
The project is supposed to improve access, safety and operations for a number of modes of transportation including vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle modes, transit and freight flow.
