Last weekend, the Minnesota Department of Transportation shut down westbound Interstate 94 between I-35W and Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis to make concrete repairs.
The agency did the same thing two weekends ago when it shut down southbound I-35W between I-94 and 46th Street in south Minneapolis. This weekend, weather permitting, drivers on northbound I-35W will be placed on detour from Friday night to Monday morning as crews work between 46th Street and I-94.
Most of that concrete was laid over the past two construction seasons as part of MnDOT's massive "Downtown to Crosstown" rebuild of I-35W, which included a new flyover bridge carrying northbound I-35W traffic to westbound I-94, new ramps and bridges, a transit station at Lake Street for the new Orange bus rapid transit line, and the new driving surface.
The three closures puzzled some Drive readers who wanted to know how concrete just two years old could already need repairs.
"The concrete did not fail by any means," said MnDOT spokeswoman Kirsten Klein. Crews put down and removed many sets of lane lines as traffic was switched from one side of the freeway to the other during construction. Concrete barriers also were shifted around.
All that movement nicked and chipped portions of the pavement and the damage needed to be fixed, she said.
"It was not unexpected," Klein said. The $239 million project wrapped up last fall, but "we knew they [the contractors] would have to come back this spring and get things cleaned up so we could have the best product out there."
Neither MnDOT nor taxpayers will have to pay for the repairs, which are covered under warranty. The work will be carried out by Ames Construction of Burnsville, along with Lunda Construction Co. and Shafer Contracting Co. who shared the original contract.
