Closure on I-494 in Bloomington will be weekend's biggest impediment
This weekend, weather permitting, eastbound lanes between Hwy. 212 and Hwy. 100 will be closed until Monday morning as work on the new ramps and overpass at East Bush Lake Road continues.
Traffic bunched up on northbound I-35W near 33rd Street where the freeway was reduced to two lanes as part of a major road construction project that includes the closure of exits into downtown Minneapolis. (Dennis McGrath/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
As the calendar turns to November, road construction crews are wrapping up their "to do" lists and taking down cones and barriers that have vexed drivers for months.
One project that is not done is along Interstate 494 in Bloomington and Eden Prairie. This weekend, weather permitting, eastbound lanes between Hwy. 212 and Hwy. 100 will be closed until Monday morning as work on the new ramps and overpass at East Bush Lake Road continues. Drivers will be detours via the Crosstown.
Drivers in the north metro will find periodic lane closures along Interstate 35W between downtown Minneapolis and Lino Lakes, but that should not pose much of an issue for motorists heading to Sunday's Vikings-Lions game at noon at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Other than a few rain and possible snow showers, the roads should be fairly free of impediments except in these locations:
Minneapolis
1. Interstate 35W: Reduced to two southbound lanes and three northbound lanes between Interstate 94 and 43rd Street until late 2019. Ramp from eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W closed. Both directions will have off-peak lane closures between 4th Street and County Road C in Roseville through mid-November.
2. Hennepin Avenue S.: Closed from Lake to 36th streets.
3. NE. Broadway Street: Closed from Stinson Boulevard to Industrial Boulevard until fall.
St. Paul 4. Hwy. 149/Smith Avenue: The High Bridge over the Mississippi River is closed until December.
North metro 5. Interstate 35 in Forest Lake: Southbound reduced to two lanes from Hwy. 8 to Hwy. 97. Northbound width restriction of 12 feet and periodic lane closures.
6. Interstate 35W in Blaine: Off-peak and night time lane closures in both directions between Mounds View and Blaine. Aslo lane restrictions between Hwy. 36 and County Road 88 from 7 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
South metro 7. Hwy. 3 in Inver Grove Heights: Closed between 60th and 70th streets and Hwys. 149 and 55.
8. Interstate 35W in Bloomington: Southbound reduced from four lanes to three between 106th Street and Cliff Road. Alternating lane closures in both directions between Cliff Road and 106th Street daily. After 10 p.m. each night the freeway may be reduced to a single lane through 5 a.m. the following day. The ramp from 106th Street to southbound I-35W closed until 2021.
9. Interstate 494 in Bloomington: Eastbound closed from until 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 100 and Hwy. 212.
10. Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie: Closed from Hwy. 101 to Spring Road.
11. Hwy. 55 in Rosemount: Westbound closed between Fischer Avenue and near 145th Street west of County Road 42.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to the Cirque du Soleil performances at Target Center, which are scheduled for Nov. 8-11.
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.
