Today it's just the traffic lights blinking red that will impact traffic on Hwy. 55 at E. 28th Street in south Minneapolis.
Starting Tuesday look for lane and ramp closures at the busy intersection, and a full shutdown of Hiawatha in both directions starting Friday.
It's all related to Xcel Energy's Hiawatha Transmission Project. The utility will place two high-voltage transmission lines beneath Hiawatha.The 115-kilovolt lines will run 1.5 miles along 28th Street and connect to a new substation near the Hiawatha Corridor and a new substation on Oakland Av. S. near the Midtown Greenway.
Today, traffic control monitors will direct traffic from 3 to 7 p.m. to help drivers get through the intersection during the rush. Until 3 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m., traffic lights will blink red and motorists will have to take turns.
The beginning stages of the Xcel project gets underway at 9 a.m. Tuesday when access to and from 28th Street to northbound Hwy. 55 is closed and drivers will be directed to the inner lanes as work begins on the east side of the road.
Motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians will be directed to E. 26th Street to access Hwy. 55, also known as Hiawatha Avenue.
A major disruption will go into effect at 10 p.m. Friday night when Hiawatha is closed in both directions between Lake Street and E. 26th Street. The segment, which sees between 32,000 to 37,000 vehicles a day, will remain closed until Oct. 22.
The posted detour will take drivers who use Hiawatha along Lake Street, Cedar Avenue and E. 26th St. Or drivers could use the Crosstown, 35W and I-94 to avoid the area.
