Weekend traffic: I-494 reduced to single lane in Plymouth, Maple Grove

This might be the last great weekend to get out for a drive and take in the fall colors. The weather should be fabulous for that and for MnDOT crews that will be working on some of the last construction projects of the season.

Among them, the I-494 lane expansion project in Plymouth and Maple Grove, which will bring lane closures this weekend. Work also continues on the Brooklyn Boulevard bridge over Hwy. 100 and along I-35E in Maplewood and St. Paul

It will be fairly quiet on the sports scene as the University of Minnesota football team and the Vikings are both out of town. But the Wild takes on Tampa Bay in NHL action at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. The Black Keys bring their Turn Blue World Tour to Target Center in downtown Minneapolis Friday night.

If you do venture out, be sure to wear your seat belt. Law enforcement will be looking for unbelted motorists as the final weekend of a Click It or Ticket It campaign wraps up Sunday.

I-494 in Plymouth

Both northbound and southbound I-494 will be reduced to a single lane through Plymouth, but late rush hour commuters might be surprised with the early start. The southbound lanes get restricted at 6 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Sunday from I-94 down to Bass Lake Road.

Northbound will be one lane from 6 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday from Rockford Road up to I-94.

On a related note, the City of Plymouth says County Road 47 at I-494 will reopen sometime Friday evening. The road was closed earlier this fall so crews could demolish and widen the I-494 bridge over the road.

Hwy. 169 in St. Louis Park

Look out for single lane configuration in the area of Cedar Lake Road. MnDOT is doing work on a noise wall around 16th Street. That's supposed to end by 8 p.m. Friday, but just be aware that's on the northbound side.

I-35W in Minneapolis

On Saturday, the northbound side of the freeway will have one lane closed from 8th Street NE. up to Johnson Street. MnDOT has not said what time the work will start, other than "early Saturday morning." Work should wrap up by 2 p.m.

The great news is that the new lanes of I-35E opened earlier this week and the freeway is now three lanes in each direction between Little Canada Road and downtown St. Paul. Most of the ramps along that stretch also opened. Crews will be working in the area over the weekend so there could be some unscheduled closures.

Next week brings another round ramp and street closures. Here is what to expect:

Larpenteur Avenue at the east and west I-35E frontage roades closed Wednesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wheelock Parkway at the east and west I-35E frontage roads closed. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday

Arlington Avenue at L'Orient Street and Mississippi Street closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

I-35W at Hwy. 13

The I-35W ramps to westbound/southbound Hwy 13 in Burnsville are still closed.

94th Street bridge over I-35W in Bloomington

The bridge over the freeway is supposed to open at 6 p.m. Friday.

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

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.

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.

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. 36 in east metro

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

Various lanes will be closed and shifted near the Mall of America and I-494, so watch the signs. Additionally, northbound ramps to and from I-494 are closed through mid-October. Detour signs will be posted, but here they are:

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.

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.