Motorists who use the Interstate 394 High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes will encounter midday closures Wednesday through Friday as MnDOT begins a repaving and concrete repair project between Hwy. 100 and downtown Minneapolis.

The lanes which are available to carpools and solo drivers who pay a fee to use them will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The lanes will be open for both the morning and evening rush hours, MnDOT said.

After Friday's evening rush, the lanes will close for the weekend at 7 p.m. and not reopen until 5 a.m. Monday. The lanes also will be closed the same hours the weekend of June 26-28.

During the closure, motorists and transit will be directed to the general traffic lanes.

Work on the reversible HOT lanes preceeds a repaving and joint repair project that will bring two-week closures to both the westbound and eastbound general traffic lanes.

Starting July 10, the westbound lanes between I-94 and Hwy. 100 will be closed for 14 days. When the westbound lanes reopen, the eastbound lanes will be closed for two weeks in late July and early August.

During the respective closures, all traffic will share the HOT lane. No tolls will be collected, MnDOT said.