Weekend closures: Eastbound I-494 in south metro, southbound I-694 in east metro

Motorists in downtown St. Paul will be able to use the Robert Street Bridge over the Mississippi River starting Friday, when the span is set to reopen.

August 21, 2020 at 1:50AM
The historic Robert Street bridge in downtown St. Paul reopens to traffic after it had been shut down for 6 weeks for repairs.
The historic Robert Street bridge in downtown St. Paul reopens to traffic after it had been shut down for 6 weeks for repairs. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

In a repeat performance, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will close eastbound Interstate 494 through Bloomington and Mendota Heights from Friday night to Monday morning. That stretch also was closed last weekend.

East metro drivers will find southbound Interstate 694 in Oakdale shut down from Friday night to Monday morning as MnDOT resurfaces the freeway between Hwy. 36 and the Interstate 694/494/94 interchange.

Motorists in downtown St. Paul will be able to use the Robert Street Bridge over the Mississippi River starting Friday, when the bridge is set to reopen following a six-week rehab project, said MnDOT spokesman Kevin Walker.

Resurfacing on Theodore Wirth Parkway between Golden Valley Road and 29th Avenue N. in Minneapolis resumed this week. When crews found contaminated material below the asphalt, work was halted so the material, likely put down in the 1960s, could be properly removed and disposed. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the month, said project manager Daniel Elias.

Here are some of the larger road construction projects in progress:

Minneapolis

1. Interstate 35W: Ramps from 46th Street to northbound I-35W, and from northbound I-35W to 36th Street, closed until September 2021. Ramps from northbound I-35W to westbound Interstate 94, and from eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W, closed until fall 2021.

2. Hennepin Avenue: Lane reductions and full closure on some blocks between 13th Street and Washington Avenue.

3. 10th Avenue Bridge: Closed over the Mississippi River through midsummer 2021.

4. 3rd Avenue Bridge: Reduced to one lane in each direction over the Mississippi River.

St. Paul

5. Ayd Mill Road: Closed between Selby Avenue and Interstate 35E until November.

East metro

6. I-694, Oakdale: Southbound lanes closed from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 36 and the I-94/694/494 interchange.

7. Hwy. 95, Denmark Township: Closed between 70th Street and Hwys. 61 and 10 until Aug. 28.

North metro

8. Interstate 35/35W/35E, Forest Lake, Columbus, Hugo: Off-peak lane reductions between Hwy. 8 and a mile south of the I-35W/35E split.

9. County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard, Brooklyn Park: Closed between Brooklyn Boulevard and 83rd Avenue N.

South metro

10. I-494, Mendota Heights and Bloomington: Eastbound lanes closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 5 and I-35E. Ramp from westbound I-494 to eastbound Hwy. 5 closed Friday through Aug. 31.

11. Hwy. 169, Jackson Township: Reduced to one lane between 133rd Street and Old Brick Yard Road through the fall.

12. Hwy. 41, Chaska: Closed between Hwy. 169 and 1st Street through Sept. 8.

West metro

13. Hwy. 5, Bloomington: Westbound lanes closed between Hwys. 62 and 55 to I-494 through October.

14. I-494, Bloomington and Richfield: Overnight lane closures between Cedar Avenue and Hwy. 100 through Aug. 31.

15. I-35W, Richfield, Bloomington: Nightly lane closures between 76th and 86th streets until Aug. 31; ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 closed until Sept. 1.

16. Shoreline Drive and Shadywood Road, Orono: Intersection reconstruction is underway; Narrows Bridge on County Road 19 closed until early September.

17. I-94, Maple Grove, Rogers: Lane shifts and closures between Hwy. 101 and the I-94/494/694 split.

about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.

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