Weekend traffic: I-494 closure, Green Line track work, Vikings home opener

For the second straight weekend, a section of I-494 near Cedar Avenue will be closed for bridge work, but this time around the shut down won't last all weekend. Work will take place in the overnight hours Friday into Saturday morning.

That's good news for those heading to the Vikings game against the New England Patriots at noon Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota.

Maintenance work on the electrical lines along the Green Line will be completed before Sunday's game. But riders on Friday and Saturday nights will be shuttled along in buses when trains are not running on Friday and Saturday nights.

Another edition of Minneapolis Open Streets will bring food, fun and frivolity to Nicollet Avenue between Lake and 46th Streets on Sunday afternoon.

And while it feels fallish out there, summer road construction season rolls on with a number of closures, detours and lane restrictions. Here is your weekend guide to getting around the metro.

Vikings game

Fans who attended one of the team's two home pre-season games probably have their parking and transit routines down. For those making their first visit to the U, here are some parking tips from the Vikings. Plan ahead as roads around the U will be most crowded about 2 hours prior to kickoff and 90 minutes following the game.

A number of Metro Transit bus routes connect to the Green Line. Blue Line riders can transfer to the Green Line at the Downtown East Station. Green Line trains stop right across the street from the stadium at Stadium Village. A reader suggests getting off at the East Bank Station and walking a couple blocks to avoid the throngs near the stadium.

Northstar trains will operate for Sunday's game. Here is a schedule.

Which ever stop you use, buy a 6-hour event pass to avoid standing in line at the vending machine after the game.

Green Line track work

Xcel Energy will be working on the overhead power lines Friday and Saturday. While maintenance is being done, passengers will be whisked along in buses that will run along University Avenue. Here is when Green Line trains Line won't run and buses will:

I-494 closure in Bloomington

MnDOT will shut down both directions of I-494 at Cedar Avenue from 10 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday. It's related to the replacement of the Cedar Avenue overpass. There will be two additional overnight closures of I-494 in October, eastbound and westbound I-494 will close on separate nights. For this weekend, here's what you need to know:

Detour: Westbound traffic will be sent north on Cedar to west Crosstown and then south on I-35W. Eastbound will be detoured to south Cedar to east Hwy. 13 and back north on Cedar to 494.

Hwy. 52/Lafayette Bridge closure in St. Paul

Crews will be installing an anti-icing system on the new northbound bridge and move barricades around to create more room for trucks accessing southbound Hwy. 52 from E. 7th Street. Pavement striping also will take place during the closure.

The southbound lanes will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Detour: Use the Mounds Blvd. ramps to access eastbound 94, the go south on Hwy. 61 and west on I-494 to reach Hwy. 52.

Cedar Avenue near the Mall of America

Mall of America shoppers and those passing by on Cedar Avenue will need to be on alert for traffic switches, narrow lanes and construction between 66th Street and Old Shakopee Road.

The ramps from eastbound I-494 to northbound Cedar Avenue and the northbound Cedar Avenue to westbound I-494 will be closed through mid-October.

Motorists on eastbound I-494 who need to access northbound Cedar Avenue will be detoured to northbound 34th Street and back west on I-494. Northbound Cedar drivers needing to go west on I-494 should use the west I-494/Hwy. 5 exit one-half mile to the south. Detour signs will be posted, MnDOT says.

The ramp from westbound 94 to northbound 35E opened last week, and that has made getting through St. Paul a tad easier. But we still have a lot of construction just north of downtown. Here is what is still shut down:

Hwy. 100 in St. Louis Park

MnDOT is working on the W. 36th Street Bridge over Hwy. 100, and some lanes on Hwy. 100 between Excelsior Blvd. and Minnetonka Blvd. will be shut down starting at 7 p.m. Friday. That will definitely impact traffic. If you are in a hurry, use Hwy. 169 as your north-south route.

Here's the schedule for tonight:

Here is the drill for Saturday night into Sunday morning: Both directions will be reduced to two lanes at 7 p.m. and to a single lane from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

I-35W and University Avenue/4th Street ramp near the U of M

Construction on northbound I-35W between the University Avenue/4th Street exit and Johnson Street continues. Prepare for slow traffic in the area as motorists navigate lane shifts and periodic lane closures.

Here are some of the impacts that remain:

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.

Hwys. 149 and 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.

Here is a traffic change that goes into effect Friday. Lone Oak Pkwy. at Hwy. 149 reopens. On Saturday, Northeast Pkwy. at Hwy. 149 closes. Motorists should follow the signed detour to use Lone Oak Parkway to bypass the closure.

Northbound Hwy 65 in Fridley, Spring Lake Park

Northbound Hwy 65 between Medtronic Parkway/Old Central Avenue and County Road 10 is closed and detoured.

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.

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: On Wednesday, a traffic shift will occur when MnDOT opens one of the new northbound lanes of Hwy. 101.

The southbound I-35W ramp to westbound Hwy 13 is closed through late fall as part of a Dakota County project. Also look for lanes on 35W to be closed for a few hours Saturday morning as crew make guard rail repairs between the Minnesota River bridge and 106th Street.

County Road 61/Flying Cloud Drive in Chaska

Look for flaggers and construction in the vicinity of County 61/Flying Cloud Drive and the intersection of Hwy. 101.

The 94th Street bridge over I-35W in Bloomington is closed through mid-October. Ramps to and from northbound 94th are expected to be back open by Friday evening, MnDOT says. The southbound I-35W ramps to and from 94th Street will remain closed through mid-September

Hwy. 169 in Edina

The northbound lanes are closed from I-494 to Bren Road. Detour: Westbound I-494 to eastbound I-394 or eastbound I-494 to northbound Hwy. 100, then west on I-394.

I-494 in Plymouth

MnDOT is widening bridges between and other work ahead of a freeway expansion project that will bring a third lane in each direction between Hwy. 55 and Bass Lake Road. Night and weekend lane shifts and closures on I-494 can be expected through November as crews remove the guardrails to reconstruct the road shoulders.

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

I-694 ramp to southbound 35E in Little Canada

The exit ramp is closed. Road maintenance work is in progress. Expect delays through the completion of the project set for Sept. 19.

Traffic will detour east on I-694 to Hwy. 61 and use the loops to return westbound to southbound I-35E.

Hwy. 7 in St. Louis Park

Here are a few detours that are still in effect: To go from eastbound Hwy. 7 to northbound Louisiana Avenue, use northbound Texas Avenue to eastbound Minnetonka Blvd. To go southbound on Louisiana Avenue from Hwy 7, take southbound Blake Road to eastbound Excelsior Avenue.

Also look out for road work near County 19 in Excelsior. That will affect eastbound motorists the most.

Hwy. 5 in Waconia

Lanes are narrower than normal, so wide loads will need to avoid the area. No vehicles wider than 11 feet will be permitted until Sept. 15 at County Roads 51 and 151. County 51 to the south and 151 to the north is closed at highway 5. Follow detour signs.

Minneapolis Parkways

Starting and finishing at Boom Island, the annual Minneapolis Bike Tour takes place on Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to roughly 2 p.m. Bicyclists will pedal 16-, 25- or 32-miles along parkways that will be closed to motorized traffic.