Portions of I-94 and 494 to be shut down for the weekend

Metro-area motorists will see lots of orange — as in cones and detour signs — and likely red — as in brake lights and delays. Portions of two freeways will shut down for a busy weekend that features the Minneapolis Aquatennial's signature fireworks and the Twins hosting the New York Yankees in a three-game series Friday through Sunday at Target Field.

But to the relief of Minneapolis commuters, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will open the westbound lanes of I-394 between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy. 100 on Friday. The lanes have been closed for two weeks and were not scheduled to reopen until Monday, but MnDOT finished the work early. Work on the eastbound lanes will begin July 31.

Detour signs will be out on Interstate 94 in St. Paul as the westbound lanes between Interstate 35E and Hwy. 280 close at 10 p.m. Friday. They will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, or sooner if MnDOT crews finish pouring concrete for the north side of the Snelling Avenue bridge early. The detour will route motorists north on I-35E to I-694, then west on 694 to I-35W and south to Hwy. 280.

In the west metro, the southbound lanes of Interstate 494 between the Fish Lake Interchange and I-394 will close from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Motorists will be detoured by way of Hwy. 169 and westbound I-394 while MnDOT constructs storm sewers along the 8-mile stretch. To accommodate the detour, the ramp from westbound I-394 to southbound I-494 will open for the weekend.

A partial Saturday closure of Hwy. 5 between Davern Street in St. Paul and Hwy. 55 near Fort Snelling may affect drivers heading to and from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Barriers will be in place from 2 a.m. to 1 p.m.

That's all in addition to other long-running projects, including work that began this week on Hwy. 100 through Edina. One lane in each direction is closed between Crosstown Hwy. 62 and I-494. The ramp from northbound Hwy. 100 to 77th Street is scheduled to reopen Saturday.

Here are other places that crews will be on the job:

• Hwy. 100: The highway is reduced to two lanes in each direction between Cedar Lake Road and Excelsior Blvd. That's in addition to the work in Edina between Crosstown and I-494.

• County Road 101: Bushaway Road is closed to through traffic between Hwy. 12 and Minnetonka Blvd.

• Hwy. 13 in Mendota: Both directions of the highways are closed between 2nd Street and Lexington Avenue until Aug. 22.

• I-94 in St. Michael: Traffic was switched to the newly constructed westbound lanes between Hwy. 241 and Hwy. 101. The speed limit has been reduced to 60 miles per hour in the work zone. Drivers on Hwy. 241 will find a new temporary access ramp to eastbound I-94. MnDOT says drivers should expect delays. At Hwy. 101, motorists on eastbound I-94 will use a cutover ramp to get to Hwy. 101 in Rogers.

• Hwy. 169 in Jordan: The highway between Hwy. 21 and Hwy. 282 is reduced to a single lane in each direction with a speed limit of 45 miles per hour through late October.