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Weekend traffic: Light-rail maintenance will impact Blue and Green Line riders

A spate of road construction is also on tap, including the shut down of a portion of the Lafayette Bridge.

By Tim Harlow

June 12, 2015 at 4:41PM

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

It's Happy Anniversary to the Green Line as the Twin Cities' newest light-rail line marks 1 year of service on Sunday. But riders won't be celebrating so much knowing that a portion of the line will be down for maintenance Friday night through Monday morning.

Green Line trains will not run between Target Field and Stadium Village from 7 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Track work also will disrupt service during the same hours on the Blue Line, which won't have service between Target Field and Franklin Avenue. Trains will run as normal elsewhere on both lines.

Buses will substitute for trains along both lines while they are down. Replacement buses will run a similar schedule as trains but may take more time, Metro Transit said.

With no major traffic generating events on tap, - the Twins and Lynx are out of town - it's as good as any weekend to close down the light-rail lines. Evangelist Joel Olsteen will draw a crowd to Target Center Saturday night.

On the roads, motorists will encounter a few new projects along with long-running projects and the detours and lane closures they bring. Here's what up:

Hwy. 52 in St. Paul

The southbound lanes of the Lafayette Bridge will be closed from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday only. Traffic will be detoured east on I-94, south of Hwy 61 and west on I-494 back to Hwy 52. Northbound lanes will remain open.

9th Street in downtown Minneapolis

Friday morning commuters might feel the sting of this project. At 6 a.m., crews will begin repaving 9th Street between Chicago Avenue and Marquette Avenue. The work is scheduled to last until Saturday evening. Traffic will be diverted to 7th Street, which might be a cluster during the morning rush. Drivers coming in on westbound 94 could try the 11th Street ramp, then circle back into downtown.

Cedar Avenue and I-494 in the south metro

Only a few more days to deal with the major tie ups that have developed on I-35W and I-494 during the evening rush hours as drivers find their way around the closure of southbound Cedar Avenue between Old Shakopee Road and Hwy. 13. They are supposed to reopen Monday.

Next week will feel like a breeze compared to this week, that is until Friday night. Then the northbound lanes shut down until June 30. But, hey, that's not until next weekend.

Note to northbound drivers: MnDOT says intermittent lane closures will be in place 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and next week leading up to the northbound closure.

Crews will be repairing bridge joints, replacing the guardrails and painting the 36-year-old bridge.

Hwy. 100 in St. Louis Park

Thankfully no lane closures are on tap this weekend. The highway is reduced to two lanes in each direction between Cedar Lake Road and Excelsior Blvd. Reminder that these ramps between Cedar Lake Road and Excelsior Blvd. remained closed:

Hwy 7 loop to southbound Hwy 100
Hwy 7 to northbound Hwy 100 closed through fall 2016. Detour to northbound Hwy 100: Excelsior Boulevard.
Minnetonka Boulevard to southbound Hwy 100
Minnetonka Boulevard to northbound Hwy 100
Northbound Hwy 100 to Minnetonka Boulevard closed.
27th Street to southbound Hwy 100
Southbound Hwy 100 ramp to Minnetonka Boulevard

I-35E in St. Paul

This ever-changing construction zone stretches from Little Canada Road to University Avenue in downtown St. Paul. The newest traffic change going into effect is that Phalen Boulevard/Pennsylvania Avenue closes under I-35E.

Detour: Use Jackson Street, University Avenue, Lafayette Road, Tedesco Road, and Payne Avenue.

For the rest of the stretch, plan on two lanes open on the southbound side and three on the northbound side. A number of ramps are closed and be prepared for new lane configurations as you pass through the area.

Ramps from southbound 35E to eastbound Hwy. 36 until late August
Ramps from both directions of Hwy. 36 to southbound I-35E until late August
Ramps from Maryland and Roselawn Avenues to northbound I-35E until late August
Southbound I-35E to Maryland Avenue until late August
Little Canada Road to southbound I-35E until late August
Southbound I-35E to University Avenue. A temporary ramp from southbound I-35E to 12th Street is open for access to the Regions Hospital Area. The ramp from southbound I-35E to Pennsylvania Avenue remains open.
University Avenue to westbound 94 is closed
Both directions of Phalen Boulevard/Pennsylvania Avenue between approximately L'Orient Street and just east of Mississippi Street are reduced to a single lane
University Avenue to westbound I-94 is closed.
Northbound ramps to/from Phalen Boulevard are permanently closed.

Snelling Avenue in St. Paul

This is not new, but a reminder for folks traveling in the Midway area of St. Paul. Snelling Avenue over I-94 is closed until late August. Traffic is being routed over to Lexington Avenue or along the official detour on Marshall and University Avenues, Vandalia Street and Cretin Avenue. NEW: Ramps to and from eastbound 94 reopened Thursday.

Hwy. 5/West 7th Street near Ft. Snelling

The road is down to a single lane in both directions between Ft. Snelling (Hwy. 55) to Shepard Road.

Additionally, eastbound Hwy. 5 ramps to Edgcumbe Road, Shepard Road and Mississippi River Boulevard are closed through late September.

The bridge over the Mississippi River is being redecked, Expect backups along W. 7th Street and onto the Mendota Bridge and back into St. Paul starting at Davern Street.

The best alternate might be to take I-35E to cross the Mississippi River, then scoot over on Hwy. 110 and skip W. 7th Street altogether.

I-494 in Plymouth and Maple Grove

No changes are in store for northbound drivers. Two lanes open as usual depending on the time of day.

Two northbound lanes will be open and one southbound lane open Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. That's when MnDOT will slide the moveable barrier over to create a second southbound lane to accommodate folks returning from out of town. From Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon, northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane.

Several ramp closures also are in place:

Carlson Parkway to southbound I-494
Carlson Parkway to northbound I-494.
Eastbound I-394 to northbound I-494
Southbound I-494 to westbound Hwy 12
Southbound I-494 to Carlson Parkway

Hwy. 10 in Ramsey

Hwy. 10 near Armstrong Boulevard may have congestion related delays through October while Armstrong Boulevard is closed north of Hwy 10. A link to detours for drivers needing alternate routes can be found here.

Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul

Kellogg is closed between Market Street and Wabasha Street until November. Additionally, the southbound lanes on the Wabasha Bridge, and the northbound lanes of the Exchange Street viaduct will be shut down for the duration of the project.

During the closure, motorists will be directed to use 7th Street and Robert Street.

Minnehaha Avenue in south Minneapolis

The intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and 45th Street isn't expected to reopen in mid-June. This closure is necessary to complete utility improvements and reconstruct the intersection.
The intersections at 46th Street and 44th Street will remain open to traffic. The existing detours for northbound and southbound traffic on Minnehaha south of 42nd Street will remain in place.

about the writer

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.