Weekend traffic: Big closures for I-35W repair, Twin Cities Marathon

More than 300,000 spectators will be in town to root on the 22,000 runners participating in Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon and the associated races and events. Getting to the race and to prime watching spots could be a bit difficult as portions of two metro area freeways will be shut down for the weekend.

A number of parkways and streets in Minneapolis and St. Paul will be closed or have restrictions during Sunday's race starting at 7 a.m. Some those closings go into effect Friday night. Metro Transit bus routes also will be affected. See the marathon section below.

As far as traveling to the big event or to Saturday's Wild's game against St. Louis at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, keep in mind that MnDOT has closures planned on I-35W in Minneapolis, I-394 in Minneapolis and Hwy. 36 in Roseville. Lane closures are on tap for I-494 in Plymouth. We also have an assortment of other road closures that could impact your travels.

Interstate 35W in Minneapolis

The southbound lanes between Hwy. 280 and SE. 4th Street in Minneapolis will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday to allow MnDOT crews to repair the de-icing system on the Johnson Street bridge. They also will be resurfacing that segment of the freeway.
Here is the prescribed detour for southbound drivers: Use southbound Hwy. 280 to westbound I-94.

All northbound lanes will remain open, but with 2 lanes only between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Hwy. 36 at I-35W in Roseville

I-494 in west metro

The ongoing work ahead of next summer's lane expansion project will bring single lane traffic in Plymouth and Maple Grove. This one could bring massive delays, so using Hwy. 169, Hwy. 100 or city and county roads further to the west might help avoid getting stuck.

Starting at 7 p.m. Friday and lasting until 2 p.m. Sunday, southbound will be reduced to one lane from Schmidt Lake Road to County Road 6.

Northbound traffic will be two lanes between I-394 and Hwy. 55 and one lane from Hwy. 55 and the I-94/694 interchange from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

I-394 in Minneapolis

I-35E in Eagan

Look for right shoulder closures and/or narrowing of lanes on the on and off ramps of Cliff and Diffley Roads from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday.

4th Street in downtown Minneapolis

This street closed from I-35W to Washington/Cedar Avenue until late September as crews reconstruct the road and new turn lanes for northbound I-35W entrance ramp.. Drivers can still get onto southbound 35W, but those heading to the University of Minnesota will need to follow this detour: Northbound on Park Avenue, then right on Washington Avenue to Cedar Avenue.

94th Street bridge over I-35W in Bloomington

The County Road 152/Brooklyn Boulevard bridge is closed to motorists and pedestrians through late October. A new bridge deck is being built.

I-35E in St. Paul

We still have a lot of construction just north of downtown. Here is what ramps asre still shut down:

Hwy 61 between White Bear Avenue and north of Hwy 96 is reduced to a single lane. There are multiple streets that are closed where they intersect with Hwy 61.

Hwy. 77/Cedar Avenue in Bloomington

Hwy. 149 and Hwy. 55 in Eagan

The section of highway between Lone Oak Road and the north intersection of Hwy. 149 will have alternating lane closures through November. That means single lane in each direction. Also in the area, Hwy. 149 will be single lane between I-494 and Hwy. 55.

Kellogg Blvd. bridge in St. Paul

Traffic restricted to three lanes with a narrower path for pedestrians and cyclists to share. This will be ongoing. The bridge connects downtown with Dayton's Bluff.

Lane closures; Northbound to eastbound County Road 144 is closed; westbound County Road 144 to northbound Hwy 101 is closed; County Road 144 is closed between James Road and the Hwy 101 construction; Hwy 101 between South Diamond Lake Road and 147th Street is single lane. Here is a heads up: New northbound lanes of Hwy. 101 opened this week, so don't rely on muscle memory to navigate the area.

This long-running project has the road down to a single lane through Oak Park Heights and Stillwater from Hwy. 5 to Hwy. 95.

Hwy. 55 in Golden Valley

A CenterPoint Energy utility reconstruction project started last week in Golden Valley along Winnetka Ave between Harold Ave and Golden Valley Rd. The three- to six-week project will have a significant impact on traffic due to lane shifts and closures, but full access will be maintained to all businesses and residents. Detours will be set up to encourage through-traffic to use Wisconsin Ave or Rhode Island Ave for Hwy 55 access.

Hwy 7 in St. Louis Park

Eastbound traffic is down to a single lane from Texas Ave and Wooddale Ave due to road construction work. This lasts until Oct. 31.

Look for intermittent lane closures through Oct. 22 between Hennepin County Road 92 and Wright County Road 30. That's Independence to Delano. Crews are building a new center turn lane at the McKinley Parkway/Eaken Avenue intersection and widen the highway.

I-94 northwest of the metro

Prepare for delays in the St. Michael and Monticello areas as road work and a lane expansion project continues. This stretches from Hwy. 101 to County Road 36 and again in the area of County Road 75 to Hwy. 25.

Your Guide to the Twin Cities Marathon

The starting gun for the 10-mile race goes off at 7 a.m. Sunday and at 8 a.m. for the 26.2-mile race from downtown Minneapolis to the State Capitol. The biggest traffic impacts will definitely be felt Sunday

For Sunday

The area around the former Metrodome is the starting line for both Sunday races, and will be off limits to vehicular traffic. From 5 to 9 a.m., the area bounded by 5th Avenue, 11th Avenue, 6th Street and 3rd Street will be closed.

Here is the race course map, and below is a guide as to where you can cross or not cross the race course:

Mile - Crossing Points

Miles 0-1 - Use side streets to I-94 or 35W. Or head south and cross racecourse intermittently at Lake Street.

Miles 8-12 - If you are East of Parkway: Cross via 54th/ Diamond Lake Road

- If you are South of racecourse: Cross at 54th Street. If you are North of racecourse: Go South to 50th, and East to Nicollet to cross racecourse

*Nicollet and 35W are North/South Crossings

Miles 12-15 - If you are North of racecourse: Cross at 46th or 42nd Streets If you are South of racecourse: Cross at 56th Street

Miles 15-21 - Take nearest thru street to freeways. Lake Street crosses the racecourse without delays

A reminder that Metro Transit buses that travel on or cross the race course may be on detour or delayed. To check you route, click on Metro Transit's Rider Alerts page.

Parking: Motorists are reminded that normal parking rules and fees apply and should take note of any hooded meters signifying no parking. Finish line parking is available on the streets and in various lots around the Capitol grounds in Saint Paul. The Sears store, west of the Capitol, offers limited Event Parking near the finish line on a first come first serve basis for $15.