South Minneapolis commuters will find orange cones and lane restrictions kick in Monday as Hennepin County begins reconstructing the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and 46th Street.
This morning, the left lane of 46th Street was to close in both directions between Snelling Avenue and 42nd Avenue as crews were to remove and pave the center median.
On Tuesday, all traffic will be shifted to the south side of 46th Street and be single lane in each direction. This will be the configuration for several months as one the north side of 46th Street is reconstructed, work on the south side will begin.
Metro Transit routes 7 and 9 will be shifted off Minnehaha Avenue and run on Hiawatha Avenue between 42nd and 46th Streets. Bus stops at Minnehaha Avenue and 46th Street will be closed during construction.
This is all part of a larger project in which Minnehaha Avenue will be reconstructed between Minnehaha Pkwy. and 38th Street this summer. Work will be done in four-block segments. It started last week between Minnehaha and 46th Street.
Motorist attempting to navigate around the construction can try West River Pkwy. up to 42nd Street, then west back over to Minnehaha Avenue. Here is the official detour
- Southbound Minnehaha Avenue: Follow westbound 42nd Street to southbound Hiawatha Avenue to eastbound 46th Street to Godfrey Parkway.
- Northbound Minnehaha Avenue: Follow eastbound Godfrey Parkway to westbound 46th Street to northbound Hiawatha Avenue to eastbound 42nd Street
Meanwhile, some commuters have found getting into downtown Minneapolis off of I-94 has been problematic with the closure of 5th Street near the new Vikings stadium.
On Monday, traffic was gridlocked on the 5th Street ramp off westbound 94.The ramp jams which have been frequent since April 1 have made getting into downtown Minneapolis more difficult and time consuming. Using 11th Street is a suggestion, but that, too, gets crammed up. With few good alternates available, drivers will need patience and hope they hit a pocket with lighter traffic.
