State transportation officials have announced this year's highway and bridge projects, but the list has a large asterisk: Metro-area stimulus projects aren't yet included.

Even without the federal stimulus list, it's a big year for road work and its related disruptions. At Wednesday's season-opening news conference at a maintenance garage in Richfield, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Department of Transportation leaders asked for drivers' patience as several megaprojects continue to snarl traffic in the name of ultimately unsnarling traffic.

With the recession in mind, Scott McBride, MnDOT's metro-area engineer, counseled frustrated drivers to "take a deep breath and celebrate the fact that people are working."

The three biggest projects on the metro-area list are already familiar to drivers: The reconstruction of the Crosstown Commons area on Hwy. 62 and Interstate 35W, the rebuilding of the "devil's triangle" at Hwy. 169 and County Road 81 in the northern suburbs, and the recently begun congestion-relief project on 35W between Burnsville and downtown Minneapolis.

Khani Sahebjam, deputy transportation commissioner, reminded drivers that the work is something MnDOT is doing "for the people, not to the people." He encouraged drivers to put down their phones and BlackBerries, pay attention to posted speed limits and keep the long-term safety and travel benefits in mind.

There will be more orange barrels -- and more people employed -- once the metro area's stimulus projects are finalized. An extension of Hwy. 610 is likely, and state officials are seeking Federal Highway Administration approval to rebuild the Hwy. 169-Interstate 494 interchange with six ramps instead of eight. That decision could come by the end of this week, Sahebjam said, with the Metropolitan Council's Transportation Advisory Board voting on projects at its meeting next week.

Statewide, 223 projects costing $1.4 billion were announced Wednesday. Of the 172 projects outside the metro area, 63 are funded with federal stimulus dollars and were previously announced by Pawlenty and Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel in February.

Other big-ticket items on the metro-area list are upgrades to Hwy. 280, including a new Larpenteur Avenue bridge, and a new interchange at Hwy. 7 and Wooddale Avenue in St. Louis Park, while work at I-35 and County Road 70 continues in Lakeville.

But even less-costly projects could get in your way as you head out of town this summer. I-94 east of Woodbury and I-35 in the Forest Lake area are both slated for resurfacing work that will lead to lane closures.

Top projects elsewhere in the state include the replacement of the Hwy. 23 bridge in St. Cloud; reconstructing Hwy. 61 north of Tofte; realigning and expanding Hwy. 14 south of Owatonna; rebuilding Hwy. 169 through downtown St. Peter; and reinforcing Hwy. 169 near Chisholm, where pavement has been sinking because of collapsing abandoned mines.

For a complete list of projects, including construction dates and traffic impacts, visit www.mndot.gov.

Jim Foti • 612-673-4491