Parts of Interstate 494 will remain closed the weekend of Feb. 21 for work crews to begin replacing two bridges and removing ramps along the freeway.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed I-494 at 10 p.m. Friday in both directions and will reopen the freeway at 5 a.m. Monday. Crews are removing the Nicollet Avenue bridge and a pedestrian bridge at 12th Avenue.
Drivers will be detoured onto Interstate 35W, Highway 62 and Highway 77. The new Nicollet Avenue bridge is expected to open in September.
Crews are also permanently closing the eastbound and westbound Nicollet Avenue ramps to I-494 to improve safety and traffic flow. Those ramps are too close to other ramps at Lyndale, Portland and 12th avenues.
More I-494 closures are planned for March. The construction projects along that stretch of interstate are expected to continue until 2030.
