Weekend traffic: Lane restrictions, but no full-out closures, for those heading to Vikings' training camp, Aquatennial

Vikings fans will be flocking to Mankato this weekend where the team is holding training camp at Minnesota State University. Those heading from the metro area via Hwy. 169 will find single lane in each direction from Hwy. 112 in Le Sueur to Hwy. 99 in St. Peter. Naturally that is because of road work.

Here in the metro, the Twins are home against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field Friday through Sunday while the Lynx have a game against San Antonio at 7 p.m. Friday at Target Center.

And the Aquatennial fireworks show is a crowd pleaser and traffic generator. The pyrotechnics fire up at 10 p.m. Saturday over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis . Pre-show events on West River Parkway begin at 6 p.m.

As you move about this weekend, MnDOT says there will be plenty of road construction to navigate around, but the good news is there are no full-out closures.

For transit riders, Metro Transit says no disruptions are anticipated on the Blue, Green or Red light-rail lines. Buses will be on detour only in road construction zones.

Here is what to watch out for.

Both directions of Brooklyn Blvd. will be closed at Hwy. 100 in Brooklyn Center as work on the new overpass continues. Ramps to and from Hwy. 100 will remain open. The project will last until October.

MnDOT tells the Drive that this will be the last weekend for this closure between the Crosstown and Valley View Road. That section of the highway will open Monday if all goes according to plan.

What happens then? The northbound lanes from I-494 to Bren Road shut down until October so MnDOT can resurface the highway and build a new overpass at the Crosstown.

Hwy. 61 in White Bear Lake

A repaving project will have Hwy. 61 bogged down between White Bear Avenue and north of Hwy. 96 until fall. It's one lane in each direction.

I-494 at the Wakota Bridge

Watch out for lane closures and traffic backups on Hwy. 55 between the east and west junctions of Hwy. 149. Also, the left lane of Hwy. 149 between I-494 and Hwy. 55 is closed. If rush hour is any indication, this is an area you might want to avoid, especially on Friday evening and Sunday evening. Hwy. 3 or 61 might work out much better.

I-35E in St. Paul and Maplewood

The big news here is that the new Larpenteur Bridge over 35E opened this week. That is helping the traffic flow a bit better in the area. Construction will continue into 2015 and be aware of the numerous ramp closures that are in place between Maryland Avenue and Little Canada Road.

Ramps closed until late October include:

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.

Special events have some parkways closes, and resurfacing will affect drivers motoring about on city parkways.

On Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, all of Lake Calhoun Pkwy. will be closed for the American Red Cross Run for Blood

The aforementioned Aquatennial takes over West River Pkwy. between 4th Avenue S. and Portland Avenue for the Carifest celebration and pre-fireworks fun. Closures will be in effect Saturday from noon to 11:30 p.m.

West River Parkway remains closed until further notice from S. 4th Street to Franklin Avenue. That's related to the mudslide that occurred a few weeks ago.

Be ready for closures on Cedar Lake Parkway between I-394 and Xerxes Avenue. Detours, no parking and road closures will be in place so please pay attention to any posted signage.