The cones and barriers are coming down on Hwy. 169 in Champlin as a massive pavement and bridge reconstruction project nears completion. Some of the highway will be back to two lanes in each direction over the weekend, with the remainder opening in the coming weeks.
Drivers in the north metro have been fighting single-lane traffic on the highway for more than four months, so relief is definitely in order.
Highways may be busiest outside the metro area, particularly on Sunday and Monday as motorists return home from the Labor Day weekend.
For those staying in town, the State Fair will be the biggest traffic-generating event of the weekend. The fair's final days often draw the biggest crowds. We've already had four daily attendance records this year, so plan for congestion on routes leading to the fairgrounds.
Other crowd-drawing events include the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, performances of "Hamilton" at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis and pop star Taylor Swift in concert Saturday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minneapolis
1. I-35W: Reduced to two southbound lanes from downtown to 43rd Street. Northbound is two lanes plus a MnPass lane up to 31st Street, then a third general traffic lane opens to 3rd Street. MnPass northbound open to 31st Street. This setup will be in place until late 2019. Ramps from northbound I-35W to 11th Street and 5th Avenue and from 12th Street/4th Avenue to southbound are closed.
2. I-94: Reduced to two lanes between Chicago and Portland avenues.
3. Penn Avenue N.: Closed from 23rd to Lowry avenues and 35th to Dowling avenues.
