This is the time of year that motorists can actually enjoy driving on metro roads, traffic jams aside, of course. The worst of winter driving is behind us and road construction season is for the most part a few weeks away.

Except on Hwy. 100.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will shut down Hwy. 100 in both directions between Interstate 394 and Crosstown Hwy. 62 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Wednesday. Ramps leading to and from Hwy. 100 will close at 9 p.m.

Crews will be setting beams for a pedestrian bridge near the railroad bridge south of Hwy. 7. The bridge is scheduled to open in April, but that is only if the weather stays as mild as it has been so far this spring, MnDOT said.

Residents who live near the new bridge might want to grab some earplugs. The installation could be noisy, MnDOT warns.

Looking ahead, the summer will bring a number of weekend closures and several short- and long-term ramp closures between the Crosstown and I-394. Those dates have not yet been set.

MnDOT will hold an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. March 30 at Groves Academy to talk about the impacts to traffic and outline the work that will be done along the five-mile segment. The school is at 3200 Hwy. 100, between Minnetonka Blvd. and Hwy. 7.

In case you can't make the meeting, here is some of what MnDOT says will be done between April and October.

  • The Hwy 7 Bridge will be removed in April and ramps to and from Hwy. 100 at Hwy. 7 will be closed.
  • Starting in May and through July, all traffic will be shifted to the southbound side of the highway with two lanes of traffic in each direction between W. 36th Street and I-394
  • The Minnetonka Blvd ramp to southbound Hwy 100 closed
  • 36th Street ramp to northbound Hwy 100 closed through November
  • Traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between W. 36th Street in St. Louis Park and Benton Avenue in Edina for a resurfacing project. Traffic will be shifted to the outside lanes and shoulders from mid-April to mid-June
  • Expect ramp closures and street closures at times on Eden Avenue, 50th Street and 44th Street.

Photo: MnDOT