Weekend major road work underway

By Jim Foti, Star Tribune

Last update: September 8, 2007 - 6:29 AM

I-35W is closed between downtown and Crosstown Hwy. 62 until 5 a.m. Monday so the 50th Street bridge over the freeway can be removed as part of the Crosstown Commons reconstruction. New beams will be placed for the nearby Diamond Lake Road bridge, which has been out for months, and Minnehaha Parkway, which passes under 35W, will be closed to cars, bikes and pedestrians from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.

Also, the westbound lanes of the Crosstown from Cedar Avenue (Hwy. 77) to Lyndale Avenue are shut down for the weekend.

So, east-west flow is going to be much more challenging than the last time, and it wasnt all that pretty last time, said Don Sobania, an engineer for the Minneapolis Department of Public Works, referring to the June closure of the same stretch of 35W.

On Sunday, streets adjacent to the Metrodome will be blocked off for much of the day for the Vikings season opener.

Several streets adjacent to the Metrodome will be blocked off from two hours before the noon kickoff until an hour after the game ends. This has been a standard game-day security measure for several NFL seasons. The closures include stretches of S. 5th and S. 6th Streets, which connect to Interstate Hwy. 94 on the east side of downtown.

The posted detour around the weekend 35W closure sends drivers along Hwy. 100 and Interstate 394.

There are a few bright spots in the weekend traffic forecast:

Eastbound I-94 drivers who emerge from the Lowry Tunnel will still be able to exit onto northbound 35W to access the 3rd Street/U of M exits.

Metro Transit will have 26 cars operating on the Hiawatha light-rail line for the Vikings game, with 10 articulated buses standing by at the Fort Snelling park and ride to take extra passengers. Metro Transit staffers will be on hand at Fort Snelling, the 28th Avenue park and ride, and the Warehouse District station downtown. A round-trip downtown zone light-rail ticket allows fans who park at the Target Center parking ramps near I-394 to get from the Warehouse District to the Dome and back for $1. The streets near the Dome wont be closed for Saturdays Gopher football game, which begins at 11 a.m.

Timing and safety

To try to keep vehicles moving across south Minneapolis over the weekend, traffic signals south of Franklin Avenue will be on a rush-hour settings, said city spokesman Matt Laible. That means signal cycles will last longer than non-rush hour times, allowing the streets to carry more cars.

And to try to keep things safe in the construction zone, the State Patrol will have additional staff on hand. Despite the clear and present dangers, drivers have been known to ignore or go around barricades, said Sgt. Mark Peterson, a patrol spokesman.

Ive stopped people who have driven on fresh cement, he said. Troopers wont have to worry about Jorgensen, the faithful fan who is taking light rail. Theres so few Viking games a year, he said. Win, lose or draw, you gotta go support em.

Jim Foti 612-673-4491

Recent Local + Metro stories

Twin Cities flu clinics set for this weekend - September 8, 2007

Twin Cities flu clinics set for this weekend - Today, Fairview Clinics will offer walk-in vaccination at its locations in Minneapolis, Bloomington, Fridley, Eagan and Wyoming, and other clinics are planned. More