After two years of construction to add a third lane in each direction on Interstate 494 through Plymouth and Maple Grove, dignitaries will celebrate with a ribbon cutting on Wednesday.
The freeway's new lanes between Hwy. 55 and the I-494/694/94 interchange officially opened on Nov. 4.
Built at a cost of more than $86 million, the extra lanes were added to alleviate rush hour congestion and improve safety along one of the busiest corridors in the metro. It was the last two-lane section of the I-494 corridor to be expanded to three lanes. More than 95,000 vehicles use the segment each day according to MnDOT figures. That is projected to grow to 132,800 a day by 2030, the agency said.
Wednesday's ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m. at Danfoss Power Solutions rear parking lot at 3500 Annapolis Lane N., Plymouth will feature remarks by Plymouth Mayor Kelli Slavik, MnDOT representatives, state lawmakers (Sen. Terri Bonoff, Rep. Sarah Anderson, Rep. Ron Erhardt, Sen. Warren Limmer), Maple Grove Mayor Mark Steffenson and Minnetonka Mayor Terry Schneider.
