The Drive: There will be pain with 7th Street ramp closure

The Minnesota Department of Transportation last week laid out plans for this summer's road work, and when agency officials said the projects will cause headaches, they weren't kidding.

Anybody who travels in the east metro will be touched by the work scheduled on I-694, Hwy. 36, Hwy. 280 and the big kahuna of them all, a rebuild of I-94 from E. 7th Street all the way to Century Avenue in Maplewood.

"This one will have the greatest traffic impact in the metro," said Tom O'Keefe, of MnDOT's metro district.

In terms of sheer numbers and the duration — I-94 will be a one big construction zone for the next two years — O'Keefe is probably right. But a construction project of any size can disrupt a commute, and residents of south Minneapolis are about to find that out. Immediately.

As of 1 a.m. Monday, MnDOT is closing the ramp from northbound Hiawatha Avenue (also known as Hwy. 55) to 7th Street, cutting off the main access in downtown Minneapolis for the next two weeks. MnDOT is closing the ramp to continue building a ramp from westbound I-94 to 7th Street. That ramp will replace the one at 5th Street.

The closure didn't get much fanfare but it has one reader wondering "how in the blazes are we supposed to get into downtown with the one hassle-free way shut down?"

That's the $64,000 question, with no wrong answers, but no really good ones either. But like those tricky multiple choice tests in school, you have to pick one. Here are some of the options, according to Tim Drew, who oversees transportation for the Minneapolis Public Works Department.

Option B is to follow the prescribed detour of taking Hiawatha to the 3rd Street exit to Portland Avenue. But keep in mind that will deposit you in the congested area around U.S. Bank Stadium where there is plenty of construction going on. And Portland Avenue is closed until mid-May, so 4th Avenue will be picking up the slack.

Option C could be taking Cedar Avenue to Washington Avenue through Seven Corners. But that's no picnic and westbound Washington is closed at 2nd Avenue S. so that's not a through route. And don't forget the work being done at intersections along Nicollet Mall that has been tying up traffic this spring.

West River Road remains closed and won't reopen until work on the Franklin Avenue bridge is complete this fall, so scratch Option D from the list of choices. Using Chicago or Park avenues might work, but neither of those have three lanes and can't really absorb an influx of vehicles. Oh, and both are closed or down to one lane between 4th and 6th Streets.

Drew encourages commuters to try Option E, and that's biking when weather permits, ride sharing or taking a bus or the Blue Line.

"Anything to take more cars off the road" will help, he said. "We understand there are a lot of projects going on, and we're doing our best to keep access to alternatives. There will be pain. People will need patience."

Whichever option you choose, good luck. You're probably going to need it.