Weekend traffic: I-94 closing in St. Paul's Hamline-Midway area

The big traffic news for the weekend is that a 5-mile stretch of I-94 between downtown St. Paul and the Midway will be closed to allow MnDOT to remove the Snelling Avenue bridge deck.

That means some motorists might have to take the circuitous route to get a number of events that dot the calendar this weekend.

The Twins have home games at Target Field against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:10 p.m. Friday and 1:10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Next door at Target Center, Kevin Hart is in concert Friday and the Piano Man, Billy Joel, holds court Saturday night.

In St. Paul, the curious and hungry can get a peek at CHS Field, the new home of the St. Paul Saints. The stadium in Lowertown hosts Minnesota Monthly's Grillfest Saturday and Sunday.

The Minnesota AIDS Walk take place Sunday at Minnehaha Park. On Saturday the Autism 5K steps off Saturday at Lake Calhoun while the Be the Match 5K runs at Lake Harriet.

Part of MVTA Route 444 will be on detour Friday through Sunday, but otherwise buses and trains should run without many disruptions. Be sure to check Metro Transit's Rider Alerts pages for any route specific changes or last-minute detours.

ROAD WORK

MnDOT crews will be taking down the bridge deck on Snelling Avenue as a $9.5 million redo of the avenue that will take until fall. Motorists on Snelling have been dealing with a detour for about a week, with traffic rerouted over to Lexington Avenue or along the official detour on Marshall and University Avenues, Vandalia Street and Cretin Avenue.

This weekend, I-94 in both directions between Hwy 280 and I-35E will shut down at 10 p.m. Friday. All ramps at I-94 between Hwy 280 and I-35E will close at 9 p.m. The closure will be in place until 5 a.m. Monday, unless MnDOT finishes its work early.

This is the first of up to four additional closures that will take place over the summer

Detour: Motorists will be directed to Hwy. 280, Hwy. 36 and I-35E.

Hwy. 65 in Fridley

On top of that, motorists on I-694 attempting to access Hwy. 65 can expect temporary ramp and loop closures that will last 10 to 15 minutes at a time all weekend. MnDOT says it will keep ramps and loops at the interchange open as much as possible.

When they are closed, alternatives include University Avenue north to 61st Avenue NE, then east to Central/Hwy. 65, or Silver Lake Road, then north to Rice Creek Road and west back to Central Avenue/Hwy. 65.

I-494 ramps and lane closures in Bloomington

Those traveling in the vicinity of the Mall of America will find ramp closures that go into effect at 10 p.m. Friday.

The ramp from eastbound I-494 to northbound Cedar Avenue/Hwy. 77 and the northbound ramp from Cedar Avenue/Hwy. 77 to westbound I-494 will be closed until 5 a.m. Monday.

An overnight closure is planned for the ramp leading from westbound 494 to southbound Cedar Avenue. That will happen from 10 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday. Motorists will be detoured to northbound Cedar Avenue and westbound Crosstown.

Also in the area, the 12th Avenue overpass over I-494 in Bloomington remains closed. During the four-week closure, motorists traveling southbound on 12th Avenue will be detoured to westbound 77th Street, southbound Portland Avenue and eastbound American Blvd. Northbound traffic will be detoured to westbound American Blvd., northbound Portland Avenue and eastbound 77th Street.

And motorists on I-494 can expect alternating lane closures in both directions between12th Avenue and 24th Avenue through Saturday. Most of the closures will be in place during overnight hours.

I-494 in Plymouth

The beat goes on for drivers on this west metro freeway as MnDOT rebuilds I-494 from the Fish Lake Interchange down to Hwy. 55 continues. Two northbound lanes will be open and one southbound lane open Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. That's when MnDOT will slide the moveable barrier over to create a second southbound lane to accommodate folks returning from out of town. From Sunday afternoon until Monday afternoon, northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane.

In the same area, Hennepin County Road 47 between Yucca Lane and Teakwood Lane will be closed to traffic until late May. The closure is needed while crews reconstruct the southbound side of I-494 over County Road 47.

Here is the detour:

Hwy. 100 through St. Louis Park

The highway has been slimmed down to two lanes in each direction between Cedar Lake Road and W. 36th Street. This has the potential to create bottlenecks, even on the weekend. so prepare to add extra time for your trip if this is your route.

The Minnetonka Boulevard Bridge over Hwy. 100 is being rebuilt. The road is between Salem and W Lake Street is closed through October.

Commuters all week have been dealing with changes between Maryland Avenue and Little Canada Road, and more changes are in store. With traffic shifted to the northbound lanes - two for southbound drivers and three open to northbound drivers - a number of ramps will be closed until fall. Here is what is closed:

Hwy. 5/West 7th Street near Ft. Snelling

This has been quite a nightmare for drivers trying to get to and from the MSP Airport as the road is down to a single lane in both directions between Ft. Snelling (Hwy. 55) to Shepard Road.

Additionally, eastbound Hwy. 5 ramps to Edgcumbe Road, Shepard Road and Mississippi River Boulevard are closed through late September.

The bridge over the Mississippi River is being redecked, Expect backups along W. 7th Street and onto the Mendota Bridge and back into St. Paul starting at Davern Street.

Look for the northbound side of the freeway to be slimmed down to one lane from 10 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. It will be two lanes open starting at 7 p.m.

Hwy. 10 in Ramsey

Hwy 10 near Armstrong Boulevard may have congestion related delays through October while Armstrong Boulevard is closed north of Hwy 10.

Kellogg Boulevard in downtown St. Paul

Kellogg is closed between Market Street and Wabasha Street until November. Additionally, the southbound lanes on the Wabasha Bridge, and the northbound lanes of the Exchange Street viaduct will be shut down for the duration of the project.

I-394 in Minneapolis

Utility work will have the right lane closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday from Penn Avenue to Dunwoody Blvd. That will likely impact fans heading to Sunday's Twins game.

Hwy. 169 in Elk River
Look for lots of cones, barrells and detours at the interchange with Hwy. 101. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, MnDOT will be conducting road maintenance operations.

I-94 in St. Michael

Motorists heading out of town for the weekend might encounter delays on I-94. The same is true on the return trip. MnDOT is repaving the freeway between Hwy. 241 in St. Michael and County Road 18 near Monticello. Nightly lane closures will be in place from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. while crews resurface nine miles of the roadway. Also be aware of a lane shift near the Crow River Bridge.

In downtown Minneapolis, 8th Street will be closed at 4th Avenue S. Friday night until 5 a.m. Monday. Lane restrictions will also be in place on 4th Avenue at the intersection. The energy company NRG will be installing water lines that will supply the new Vikings stadium.