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Weekend traffic: Bridge work to bring shutdowns on I-35W, Hwy. 100

Portions of both highways will be closed all weekend as MnDOT tears down one bridge and begins building another.

By Tim Harlow

July 19, 2014 at 1:02AM

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The parties just keep coming in Minneapolis where the Aquatennial kicks off Friday and the Twins have home games with Tampa Bay at Target Field.

But it won't be a lot of fun on I-35W in Bloomington and Hwy. 100 in Brooklyn Center. Portions of both highways will be closed all weekend as MnDOT tears down one bridge and begins building another.

Continuing construction projects on Hwy. 52 and Hwy. 55 through Inver Grove Heights and Eagan along with work on Hwy. 169 will add challenges for commuters. We've also got closures on Minneapolis Parkways for special events. (See below).

For transit users, Metro Transit says several routes that pass through St. Paul's Highland Park area will be on detour due to the always festive Highland Fest. Detours will run 8 p.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Sunday. They include Routes 46 74, 84, 87. Details are listed on the agency's rider alert page.

No disruptions are anticipated on the Metro Blue, Green or Red lines.

I-35W closure

MnDOT is taking down the overpass at 94th Street in Bloomington from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Here is what's closed and how to navigate around:

Southbound lanes will be closed from I-494 down to 94th Street while the northbound lanes will be shut down from the I35E/I-35W Split up to 94th Street.

Detours: Motorists traveling southbound on I-35W will be detoured to eastbound I-494, southbound Hwy. 77 and southbound I-35E. Northbound I-35W traffic will be detoured to northbound I-35E, northbound Hwy. 77 and westbound I-494.

Hwy. 100 closure

Last week MnDOT took down part of the Brooklyn Blvd. bridge that passes over Hwy. 100 in Brooklyn Center. This weekend the agency will be putting beams in place for its replacement.

From 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, both directions of Hwy. 100 will be closed. Northbound lanes will be blocked from County Road 81 and Brooklyn Blvd. and southbound lanes will be closed at Brooklyn Blvd.

With the bridge out of commission, obviously both directions of Brooklyn Blvd. are closed at Hwy. 100. The following detours will be in place:

Southbound Hwy 100— Motorists will be able to use the exit and entrance ramps at Brooklyn Boulevard to bypass the closure and continue their southward journey.
Northbound Hwy 100— Drivers will be routed west on I-394, north on Hwy. 169 and then east on I-694.
Westbound Brooklyn Boulevard— Drivers will be sent north on Hwy. 100 and then west on Bass Lake Road
Eastbound Brooklyn Boulevard— Motorists will be detoured east on Bass Lake Road, south on County Road 57/Humboldt Avenue, then west on 49th Avenue.

Metro Transit routes that operate on Brooklyn Blvd.will also be on detour. Among them are 19, 5, 717 721, 724, 761. See the agency's rider alert page for specifics.

Minneapolis Parkways

The Aquatennial Beach Bash with the Milk Carton Boat Races and sandcastle competition will draw lots of folks to Lake Calhoun for summer fun and frivolity. The parkway all the way around the lake will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Victory Memorial Drive will be filled with runners competing in the Bolder Dash races from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday. Races run from Webber Park down to Lowry Avenue.

The barricades are supposed to keep traffic off of Lake Nokomis Pkwy. from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday for the Bacon Chase 5K Fun Run.

Hwy. 65 in Spring Lake Park/Fridley

For another three weeks or so, the southbound lanes of Hwy. 65 from County Road 10 to Medtronic Pkwy. remain closed as the highway pavement and improvement projects continue. The detours options are westbound Hwy. 10 to Hwy. 610 to Hwy. 252 through Brooklyn Park or eastbound Hwy. 10 to southbound 35W to 694.

Cross traffic will want to know about upcoming changes at some intersections:

73rd Avenue intersection will be closed on the west side of Hwy 65 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 23.
West Moore Lake Drive intersection will be closed on the west side of Hwy 65 through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday July 23.
81st Avenue intersection on the west side of Hwy 65 is closed until 11:59 p.m. Monday, July 28.
Southbound Hwy 65 between County Hwy 10 and Medtronic Parkway is closed and detoured through early August.

On a side note, Hwy. 65/Central Avenue in Minneapolis from 14th Avenue to 18th Avenue remains closed as progress on the new railroad bridge continues.

Hwy 169 in Edina

Southbound Hwy 169 between the Crosstown and Valley View Road is closed for at least another week. This has been in place so long that most of us have adjusted to it, but traffic does tend to bunch up there, so be ready.

Hwy. 61 in White Bear Lake

It's a repaving project that has Hwy. 61 bogged down at all hours between White Bear Avenue and north of Hwy 96. Commuters have been wondering when this project will be done. The answer is fall. Until then, expect head-to-head traffic in some areas of the 5-mile work zone and watch for flaggers directing traffic.

I-35E in St. Paul

In case you have not been to St. Paul, Maplewood or had to travel through the east metro, here is a heads up. The freeway in both directions is down to two lanes between Little Canada Road and Maryland Avenue.

Additionally, these ramps are closed until October. The good thing there is that traffic moves along without too much difficulty since there are not a lot of motorists exiting and entering the freeway. The bad news, is access is really restricted. Here is the list:

Little Canada Road to southbound I-35E
Southbound I-35E to eastbound Hwy. 36
Westbound and eastbound Hwy. 36 to southbound I-35E
Roselawn Avenue to southbound I-35E
Maryland Avenue to northbound I-35E
Northbound I-35E to Roselawn Avenue
Roselawn Avenue to northbound I-35E
Northbound I-35E to westbound Hwy. 36
Northbound I-35E to eastbound Hwy. 36
Both directions of Hwy. 36 to northbound I-35E
Northbound I-35E to Little Canada Road

Hwy 101 and County Road 144 in Rogers

It seems as if there is always construction going on in this part of town. Here is the current status on Hwy. 101:

Southbound Hwy 101 between South Diamond Lake Road and 147th Street is single lane.
Northbound Hwy 101 between South Diamond Lake Road and 147th Street is single lane.
Northbound Hwy 101 to eastbound County Road 144 is closed.
Westbound County Road 144 to northbound Hwy 101 is closed.
County Road 144 between James Road and the Hwy 101 construction is closed.
Traffic will be moved from the existing Hwy 101 to the Hwy 101 bypass (late afternoon or evening). The bypass will be a single lane in each direction through the duration of the project.

Work on the Wakota Bridge

Eastbound I-494 on the Wakota Bridge between Hardman Avenue in South St Paul and Maxwell Avenue in Newport will be reduced by two lanes from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. The lane closures will continue for three consecutive weekends.

Hwy. 55/52 in Inver Grove Heights and Eagan

Watch out for lane closures and traffic backups on Hwy 55 between the east and west junctions of Hwy 149 has alternating lane closures. Also in the area, the left lane of Hwy 149 between I-494 and Hwy 55 is closed.

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.