Labor Day road forecast: low gas prices, lots of road construction

There is great news for motorists heading to the lake for the Labor Day weekend. Gas prices have dropped to their lowest level for the holiday weekend since 2004, according to AAA.

The bad news is that road construction is still in position to thwart drivers.

"There are still many work zones around the state that will affect travel," said Charlie Zelle, Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioner.

Statewide, law enforcement will be looking for drunken drivers in an enforcement campaign that runs through Monday.

For those staying in town, traffic-generating events include the final weekend of the Minnesota State Fair and the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee. The Lynx have home games Friday and Sunday at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis, and the Saints have baseball games Friday through Sunday at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul.

Metro Transit buses and light-rail trains will be on a Sunday/holiday schedule Monday. MVTA buses and the Metro Red Line will be on a holiday schedule Monday. No Northstar trains operate.

Here are places motorists may experience delays:

• Lane and ramp closures on I-35E between Little Canada Road and I-94 through Maplewood and St. Paul.

• Lane and ramp closures on Hwy. 5/W. 7th Street between Fort Snelling and Davern Street in St. Paul.

• Hwy. 5 between East Scandia Road near Waconia and County Road 11 in Victoria is closed until mid-September.

• Armstrong Boulevard is closed north of Hwy. 10 through October. Look for lane restrictions on Hwy. 10.

• Hwy. 13 is closed between 2nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Mendota and Lilydale. The detour is via Hwy. 110 and I-35E.

• A number of ramp closures and lane shifts are in place on Hwy. 100 between 36th Street and I-394 in St. Louis Park.

• The ramp from northbound I-35W to County Road 96 and from County Road 96 to southbound 35W is closed until October. County Road 96 is a single lane in each direction across the interstate.

• The ramp southbound I-35E to southbound Hwy. 52/eastbound I-94 is closed through early November.

• Victory Memorial Drive and Webber Parkway in Minneapolis will be closed 6 a.m. to noon Monday for the MDRA races.

• I-94 between Rogers and St. Michael has lane shifts, narrow lanes and reduced speeds from Hwy. 101 to Hwy. 241.

• Hwy. 25 is closed at Hwy. 12 (7 miles south of Buffalo) and a detour is in place.

• Detour on Hwy. 12 between Atwater and Litchfield.

• Hwy. 29 in Alexandria has lane closures and lane shifts near I-94.

• Hwy. 2 has lane shifts between Cass Lake and Ball Club.

• Hwy. 371 between Cass Lake and Walker has lane closures.

• Hwy. 2/Bong Bridge between Duluth and Superior, Wis., has eastbound traffic detoured.

• Hwy. 23 is single lane between Duluth and Duquette.

• Hwy. 70 east of I-35 will have both lanes open, but part of roadway will have a gravel surface.

• I-35 is single lane through Owatonna and from the Blooming Prairie exits to Albert Lea.

• I-90 is single lane between St. Charles and Stewartville.

• Hwy. 59 is detoured through Marshall.