Weekend traffic Oct. 18-20: Interstate 35W ramps, Hwy. 610 closures could hamper travel

Key freeway ramps in the ongoing Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 construction project in downtown Minneapolis may be the biggest traffic challenges of the weekend.

The ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. At the same time, ramps from northbound I-35W to Washington Avenue and 3rd Street and from westbound Hwy. 55 to Washington Avenue and 3rd Street also will be closed.

In the south metro, drivers are not able to use the ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 in Bloomington. That ramp closed Thursday and won't reopen until Nov. 7, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. In the north metro, westbound Hwy. 610 will be shut down through parts of Maple Grove from Friday night to Monday morning. And both directions of I-94 through the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis will be closed overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.

More traffic around the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may appear due to MEA weekend.

On the sports scene, the two biggest traffic-generating events are Sunday's Wild game at 4 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center and Minnesota United's first playoff game at 7:30 p.m. at Allianz Field.

Construction is winding down, but here a few places drivers will still encounter orange cones this weekend.

1. I-35W: Ramps from southbound I-35W to westbound I-94, northbound I-35W to 3rd Street and Washington Avenue, and westbound Hwy. 55 to 3rd Street and Washington Avenue closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. Ramps from northbound I-35W to westbound I-94 and eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W closed until 2021. Lane reductions in both directions from 43rd Street to I-94.

3. White Bear Avenue: Lane closures between Upper Afton Road and I-94 through early November.

4. Hwy. 120/Century Avenue in Maplewood: Closed between 27th and 34th streets until Nov. 1.

5. I-35W from Roseville to Lino Lakes: Lane reductions in both directions between Hwy. 36 in Roseville and Sunset Avenue in Lino Lakes.

6. I-35W, 35E and 35 in Columbus and Forest Lake: Lane closures in both directions on I-35 between the split and Hwy. 8. Southbound I-35 reduced to two lanes from Hwy. 97 to the I-35W/35E split, and I-35W and I-35E reduced to a single lane south of the split. Northbound I-35W reduced to a single lane approaching the I-35W/I-35E split.

7. Bottineau Boulevard/County Road 81 in Brooklyn Park: Closed between N. 71st Avenue and Brooklyn Boulevard.

9. I-94 in Rogers and Maple Grove: Westbound reduced to one lane at various times between I-494 and Hwy. 241 from 7 p.m. Friday to noon Saturday and resuming at 7 p.m. Sunday.

10. Hwy. 149/Dodd Road in Mendota Heights and Lilydale: Closed between Round Hill Road and Bachelor Avenue until Nov. 1.

11. I-35W in Bloomington: Ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 closed until Nov. 7. Lane restrictions in both directions between 106th Street and Cliff Road.

12. Hwy. 3 in Inver Grove Heights: Closed between 60th Street and County Road 26 until Nov. 1.

13. Hwy. 13 in Prior Lake: Closed between Panama Avenue and Franklin Trail until Nov. 1.