The city of St. Paul will try again to set beams for the new Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge in St. Paul this weekend, Feb. 6-8, and close a portion of Interstate 94 to carry out the work.
Two previous closures were called off due to inclement weather, but the weekend forecast looks favorable this time.
The eastbound and westbound lanes of I-94 will close at 10 p.m. Friday between Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 52, also known as the Lafayette Freeway. Lanes will reopen at 5 p.m. Sunday. Drivers can expect lane closures in the area beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.
Crews will install beams for the new Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge, which has been closed since July 2024.
When the $91 million project began, city officials said the longest city-owned bridge would be the largest and most complex public infrastructure project since 1995.
About a decade ago, the bridge in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood that carried about 14,000 vehicles a day over I-94 was deemed structurally insufficient. That led to plans to replace it with a new one. When the bridge reopens in three years, it will have two travel lanes in both directions and a concrete barrier on both sides to separate traffic from 12-foot-wide trails to be shared by pedestrians and bicyclists.
Intersections near Union Depot and at Mounds Boulevard will be reconstructed to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and vehicles, including bus rapid transit. The new bridge will also feature artist-designed ornamental railings and piers.
Two previous I-94 closures scheduled in recent weeks were called off due to extreme cold and wind. This time around, the weather looks to cooperate.
