Weekend traffic Oct. 18-20: Interstate 35W ramps, Hwy. 610 closures could hamper travel

Key freeway ramps in the ongoing Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 project in downtown Minneapolis may be the biggest challenges.

October 18, 2019 at 3:26AM
Motorists make their way through the construction zone on I-35W at I-35E near Forest Lake.
Motorists make their way through the construction zone on I-35W at I-35E near Forest Lake. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Key freeway ramps in the ongoing Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 construction project in downtown Minneapolis may be the biggest traffic challenges of the weekend.

The ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. At the same time, ramps from northbound I-35W to Washington Avenue and 3rd Street and from westbound Hwy. 55 to Washington Avenue and 3rd Street also will be closed.

In the south metro, drivers are not able to use the ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 in Bloomington. That ramp closed Thursday and won't reopen until Nov. 7, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. In the north metro, westbound Hwy. 610 will be shut down through parts of Maple Grove from Friday night to Monday morning. And both directions of I-94 through the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis will be closed overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday.

More traffic around the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may appear due to MEA weekend.

On the sports scene, the two biggest traffic-generating events are Sunday's Wild game at 4 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center and Minnesota United's first playoff game at 7:30 p.m. at Allianz Field.

Construction is winding down, but here a few places drivers will still encounter orange cones this weekend.

Minneapolis

1. I-35W: Ramps from southbound I-35W to westbound I-94, northbound I-35W to 3rd Street and Washington Avenue, and westbound Hwy. 55 to 3rd Street and Washington Avenue closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. Ramps from northbound I-35W to westbound I-94 and eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W closed until 2021. Lane reductions in both directions from 43rd Street to I-94.

2. Hennepin Avenue and 8th Street: Hennepin Avenue is a single lane in each direction between 7th and 12th streets; 8th Street is closed from LaSalle Avenue to S. 2nd Avenue and Portland to Park avenues.

St. Paul

3. White Bear Avenue: Lane closures between Upper Afton Road and I-94 through early November.

East metro

4. Hwy. 120/Century Avenue in Maplewood: Closed between 27th and 34th streets until Nov. 1.

North metro

5. I-35W from Roseville to Lino Lakes: Lane reductions in both directions between Hwy. 36 in Roseville and Sunset Avenue in Lino Lakes.

6. I-35W, 35E and 35 in Columbus and Forest Lake: Lane closures in both directions on I-35 between the split and Hwy. 8. Southbound I-35 reduced to two lanes from Hwy. 97 to the I-35W/35E split, and I-35W and I-35E reduced to a single lane south of the split. Northbound I-35W reduced to a single lane approaching the I-35W/I-35E split.

7. Bottineau Boulevard/County Road 81 in Brooklyn Park: Closed between N. 71st Avenue and Brooklyn Boulevard.

8. Hwy. 610 in Maple Grove: Westbound closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between County Road 81 and I-94.

9. I-94 in Rogers and Maple Grove: Westbound reduced to one lane at various times between I-494 and Hwy. 241 from 7 p.m. Friday to noon Saturday and resuming at 7 p.m. Sunday.

South metro

10. Hwy. 149/Dodd Road in Mendota Heights and Lilydale: Closed between Round Hill Road and Bachelor Avenue until Nov. 1.

11. I-35W in Bloomington: Ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 closed until Nov. 7. Lane restrictions in both directions between 106th Street and Cliff Road.

12. Hwy. 3 in Inver Grove Heights: Closed between 60th Street and County Road 26 until Nov. 1.

13. Hwy. 13 in Prior Lake: Closed between Panama Avenue and Franklin Trail until Nov. 1.

West metro

14. Flying Cloud Drive in Eden Prairie: Closed between Hwy. 101 and Spring Road.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768

about the writer

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.

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