At long last, commuters in St. Louis Park will be able to cross Hwy. 100 using the new Minnetonka Boulevard bridge. The new overpass will open for motorists and pedestrians on Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

A "Meet in the Street" party will be held from 5:30-7 p.m with a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. at St. George's Episcopal Church to mark the halfway point of the Highway 100 project and the grand reopening of the bridge.

Motorists have been on detour for the past six months as MnDOT tore down the old structurally deficient bridge and replaced it with a new one. The new bridge is part of a $60 million project that is widening Hwy. 100 and adding noise walls between W. 36th Street and I-394. The entire project will be completed during the 2016 construction season.

Along with Minnetonka Blvd. opening between W. Lake Street and Salem Avenue, ramps to and from northbound Hwy. 100 at Minnetonka Blvd. also will open Thursday. Ramps to and from southbound Hwy. 100 at Minnetonka Blvd. will remain closed, MnDOT said.

It's not all good news. On Saturday, Hwy. 7 will close between Beltline Avenue and Wooddale Avenue until the fall of 2016. During the closure, motorists will need to use Minnetonka Blvd. or Excelsior Blvd. to cross Hwy. 100.

A new overpass at Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 100 will be built during the closure.

Further to the south, look for another weekend closure of southbound Hwy. 100. Road closed signs will be in place from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday between the Crosstown and I-494. The recommended detour will take drivers on Crosstown, I-35W and I-494.

The weekend closure also will affect the following ramps:

  • Southbound Hwy. 100 to eastbound Crosstown
  • Westbound Crosstown to southbound Hwy. 100
  • Eastbound Crosstown to southbound Hwy. 100
  • 70th Street to southbound Hwy. 100
  • 77th Street to southbound Hwy. 100