More major Twin Cities traffic arteries will be inaccessible this weekend, as the Minnesota Department of Transportation shuts down eastbound Interstate 694 in the north metro in the name of improving safety and mobility, spokesman Kent Barnard said.
Also closing is westbound I-94 and southbound I-35E in St. Paul
Eastbound lanes of I-694 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center and Snelling Avenue in Arden Hills, with ramps along the 6-mile segment shutting down as early as 7 p.m. Friday.
During the work, eastbound motorists will be directed to head north on Hwy. 169 and then east on Hwys. 610 and 10 to return to I-694. Westbound traffic lanes will remain open.
Three weekends ago, MnDOT shut down westbound I-694 in the same area and enlisted the services of 151 employees and contractors who worked to complete “as many maintenance tasks as possible,” Barnard said.
Workers patched potholes and filled gaps in the concrete driving surface, repaired concrete median barriers and guardrails, sealed cracks on bridges and painted new stripes on the road.
Crews cleaned and inspected traffic cameras, removed graffiti and cleared drains. They collected 228 bags of trash and removed 42 dead or decaying trees, and new lights and signs that meet readability standards were installed.
“It’s a lot of hidden things that people don’t think about,” Barnard said. “It improves safety and mobility.”
