It will be anything but an afternoon delight for commuters heading home on westbound 394 in Minnetonka. MnDOT on Monday will begin a 30-day project to reconfigure on and off ramps and extend an auxiliary lane on the interstate.

The project will affect drivers from Plymouth Road to the I-494 interchange Monday through mid-October, MnDOT said.

Traffic lanes will be narrowed and the ramp from westbound I-394 to northbound I-494 will close for one week. The loop from northbound I-494 to westbound Hwy. 12 will be closed for one month and the loop from Plymouth Road to westbound 394 will be closed for 30 days.

The $1 million project includes a redesign that will turn the current exit ramp from westbound 394 to northbound and southbound 494 into two separate exits. An auxiliary lane will be extended beyond the Plymouth Road interchange. Once that is done, MnDOT will regrade and restripe the road. New signs also will be installed.

During construction, motorists are advised to use the following detours:

  • Northbound 494 to 394 drivers should use the Carlson Pkwy. exit, cross over the freeway, then south on 494 to Hwy. 12.
  • Westbound I-394 drivers should take the ramp to southbound 494, then the loop to eastbound 394 to the loop to northbound 494.
  • Drivers who normally use the Plymouth Road exit should get off westbound 394 at Hopkins Crossroad.

MnDOT said the project should improve the traffic flow on westbound 394 by removing weaving from through lanes and providing better access to 494.