Lyndale-494: Pain, then gain

Article by: Star Tribune
Updated: October 7, 2008 - 12:24 AM

The ramps to and from eastbound I-494 closed today. The new interchange will be finished in late 2009.

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The good news for motorists who use Lyndale Avenue to cross or access Interstate Hwy. 494 on the Richfield-Bloomington city line is that traffic will flow better. The bad news is that it won't happen until next year.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation Department on Monday began a yearlong project that includes building an interchange similar to the one at Penn Avenue and 494.

When it is finished in November 2009, the reconstructed interchange will include turn lanes on Lyndale Avenue, one less traffic light and a bridge that conforms to current construction standards, the department said.

The ramp from eastbound 494 to Lyndale closed Monday and will not reopen until mid-November. The ramp will close again in January and remain closed until the project is complete.

The ramp from Lyndale to eastbound 494 closed Monday and will be closed until November 2009.

The ramps leading from westbound 494 to Lyndale and from Lyndale to westbound 494 will remain open until January. They will shut down in January when Lyndale is closed from American Boulevard to 77th Street, MnDOT said.

Frontage roads on both sides of Lyndale beyond the REI store also closed Monday.

Motorists are advised to use Nicollet Avenue to access 77th Street and American Boulevard to get on eastbound 494.

TIM HARLOW