On Monday, it was just the traffic lights blinking red that affected traffic on Hwy. 55 at E. 28th Street in south Minneapolis.

Starting Tuesday, look for lane and ramp closings at the busy intersection, and a full shutdown of a stretch of Hiawatha Avenue in both directions starting Friday.

It's all related to Xcel Energy's Hiawatha Transmission Project. The utility will place two high-voltage transmission lines beneath Hiawatha. The 115-kilovolt lines will run 1.5 miles along E. 28th Street and connect to a new substation near the Hiawatha Corridor and a new substation that will be built on Oakland Avenue S. near the Midtown Greenway.

The beginning stages of the project get underway at 9 a.m. Tuesday, when access to and from 28th Street to northbound (labeled west) Hwy. 55 is closed and drivers will be directed to use the two inner lanes as work begins on the east side of the road.

Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will be directed to 26th Street to access Hwy. 55, also known as Hiawatha Avenue.

A major disruption will go into effect at 10 p.m. Friday, when Hiawatha will be closed in both directions between Lake Street and 26th Street. The segment, which sees between 32,000 and 37,000 vehicles a day, will remain closed until Oct. 22.

The posted detour will take drivers who use Hiawatha along Lake Street, Cedar Avenue and 26th St. Or motorists could use the Crosstown Hwy. 62, I-35W and I-94 to avoid the area.

Bicyclists and pedestrians will be allowed to cross Hiawatha at 28th Street during the full closure.

Once the work on Hiawatha is complete, crews will begin working along 28th Street. Drivers and residents along that street can expect rolling closings and detours as the project moves westward.

Tim Harlow • 651-925-5039 Twitter: @timstrib