Soaking rain Friday won't stop MnDOT from carrying out a pair of construction projects that will put drivers on portions of I-35W and Hwy. 65 on detour this weekend.

In Minneapolis, northbound I-35W will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday between 26th Street and Hwy. 280. Crews will be fixing bridges, repairing pavement and guard rails, and removing graffiti.

Motorists will be directed to use eastbound I-94 to northbound Hwy. 280 while the lanes are closed.

For the second straight weekend, drivers on Hwy. 65 in Blaine will be shifted to alternate routes as MnDOT digs a trench across the highway and installs culverts to carry water beneath the roadway. Southbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday between Main Street/County Road 14 to Hwy. 10. Northbound lanes will remain open.

Two more closures on Hwy. 65 are scheduled for Oct. 20-23 and Oct. 27-30. Crews will build four temporary crossovers to carry traffic across the median when a larger resurfacing and repair project begins next year between County Road 10 in Spring Lake Park and 237th Avenue in East Bethel.