Major closure on I-35W and Blue Line maintenance highlight weekend traffic disruptions

First, a nugget of good news: The ramp from westbound Interstate 94 to 11th Street in downtown Minneapolis opens Saturday.

Now for the really bad news: Most of Interstate 35W from Richfield to Arden Hills will be closed until Monday.

The summer construction season has hit fever pitch with the 15-mile I-35W closure, which will funnel traffic onto the official detour of Hwy. 100. But expect other routes such as Hwy. 36, I-94 and I-35E and many city streets and county roads to pick up the slack.

Blue Line riders can expect delays of 10-15 minutes along the line between 1 a.m. Saturday and 3:30 a.m. Monday. Metro Transit is doing maintenance in the tunnel at the airport.

Traffic-generating events include the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday at Target Center and the Loring Park Art Festival running through Sunday in Minneapolis. The St. Paul Saints have home games at CHS Field.

Here is your weekend road construction roundup:

1. Interstate 35W: Until 5 a.m. Monday, northbound closed from Crosstown Hwy. 62 to County Road C in Roseville. Southbound closed from Hwy. 36 to 46th Street. No access to Hwy. 280 from I-94. Northbound Hwy. 280 will remain open from University Avenue to Larpenteur Avenue. Through traffic advised to use Hwy. 100 and Crosstown to get around the closure.

3. Penn Avenue N.: Closed for C-Line bus rapid transit line construction from 23rd to Lowry avenues and 35th to Dowling avenues.

4. Hennepin Avenue S.: Closed from 31st to 36th streets.

5. NE. Broadway Street: Closed from Stinson Boulevard to Industrial Boulevard.

6. Wabasha Street: Closed from Plato Boulevard to Cesar Chavez Street.

7. Hwy. 149/Smith Avenue: The High Bridge over the Mississippi River is closed.

9. Hwy. 95 in Afton: Closed in both directions between Bailey Road and 70th Street.

10. Interstate 35 in Forest Lake: Northbound reduced to two lanes from Hwy. 97 to Hwy. 8. Southbound periodic lane reductions.

11. Hwy. 10 in Elk River: Reduced to one lane in both directions between Waco Street and Upland Avenue.

12. Hwy. 169 in Champlin: Single lane traffic in both directions between Hwy. 610 and E. Hayden Lake Road.

13. Hwy. 13 in Burnsville: Single lane with flaggers from I-35W to I-494 in Mendota.

15. Hwy. 3 in Inver Grove Heights: Closed in both directions between Rich Valley Boulevard and Hwy. 55.

16. 66th Street in Richfield: Closed to through traffic between Humboldt and Portland avenues S. Ramps to and from I-35W closed.

17. Hwy. 41 in Chaska: Closed in both directions from Hundertmark Road and Pioneer Trail until Sept. 3.

18. Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie: Closed from Charlson Road and Spring Road.

19. Crosstown Hwy. 62 in Edina: Ramps from Gleason Road to westbound Hwy. 62, eastbound Hwy. 62 to northbound Hwy. 169 and southbound Hwy. 169 to eastbound Hwy. 62 closed.