Weekend traffic: Part of I-494 closed in Bloomington

The biggest travel disruption of the weekend will be in Bloomington where a short segment of I-494 at Cedar Avenue will be closed Friday night through Monday morning.

It's one of several road construction projects that motorists will encounter while moving around the metro area.

Roads around Minnehaha Park will be closed Saturday for the Monarch Festival, which celebrates butterflies and serves up activities with the flavor of Mexico. The Renaissance Festival continues Saturday and Sunday, so look for extra traffic on Hwy. 169 in Shakopee.

Meanwhile, the Twins are home Thursday through Sunday against the Anaheim Angels at Target Field and the University of Minnesota football team has a home game against Middle Tennessee State at TCF Bank Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Traffic will be heaviest around the U from 11 a.m. until kickoff at 2:30 p.m. and in the hour or so after the game. University officials say drivers should anticipate congestion and delays while traveling to and around campus. Carpooling and alternate methods (transit, bike, walk) are highly recommended.

Here is a link to parking information if you choose to drive. If transit is your option, the Green Line stops at Stadium Village, right across from the stadium. Several bus routes also stop near the stadium. Metro Transit Northstar Trains will run on their normal weekend and Twins schedule.

SouthWest Transit will run express service from stations in Chaska, Chanhassen and Eden Prairie.The fare is $5. Here is the schedule.

MnDOT will be tearing down the northbound Cedar Avenue bridge over I-494, and to do so the agency will close 494 in both directions at Cedar from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.

During the closure, westbound traffic will be diverted onto northbound Cedar Avenue to the Crosstown, then west on Crosstown to I-35W, then south back to 494.

Eastbound traffic will be sent north on I-35W to the Crosstown, then east on Crosstown to Hwy. 55 to westbound Hwy. 5, then back east on I-494.

One eastbound lane will remain open for motorists who need to access Lyndale, Nicollet and Portland Avenues. MnDOT warns that extra time will be needed as lanes could be closed at times. A suggestion would be for drivers to use 35W south and get off at 82nd St, then head east.

Cedar Avenue near the Mall of America

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.

I-35E in St. Paul

The ramp from westbound 94 to northbound 35E opened this week, and that has made getting through St. Paul a tad easier. But look out for a new closure south of downtown on Saturday and Sunday. The freeway will be reduced to a single lane between Randolph Avenue and Victoria Street as MnDOT does bridge maintenance. Most of the alternating lane closures will be between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., but sometimes work does run longer.

North of downtown, reconstruction of 35E continues, and so do the numerous ramp closures that have been in place for the past few months. Here is a list:

After reopening to traffic, Phalen Boulevard/Pennsylvania Avenue will remain a single lane in each direction at I-35E through late 2015 for ongoing bridge construction.

Hwy. 100 and W. 36th Street in St. Louis Park

The first signs of a planned rebuild of Hwy. 100 through St. Louis Park will show up this weekend, although they won't be all that noticeable. Crews will start getting ready for a resurfacing project on the W. 36th Street bridge that begins Monday. This weekend they'll be removing medians on both ends of the bridge, so drivers should expect some off-peak, temporary lane restrictions.

Starting Monday, W. 36th Street between Park Center Boulevard and Xenwood Avenue will be reduced to one lane in each direction Crews will work on one side of the bridge while motorists travel on the opposite side. Plan on that to be in place for a month.

No lanes on Hwy. 100 will affected. However, motorists should be on the lookout for slow traffic caused by heavy equipment and trucks moving around in the area.

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.

The flyover bridge from northbound 35W to 3rd Street and downtown Minneapolis also is closed and will be until Sept. 23. The detour is to use Washington Avenue to Chicago Avenue, then back to 3rd Street.

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.

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.

The County Road 152/Brooklyn Boulevard Bridge is closed to motorists and pedestrians through mid-October.

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.

The southbound I-35W ramp to westbound Hwy 13 is closed through late fall as part of a Dakota County project.

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.

In addition, both directions of County Road 61 will close east of Great Plains Blvd. at Bluff Creek. Motorists traveling west on County 61 will not have access to the Hwy. 101 bridge into Shakopee. The bridge itself will be open to traffic between Shakopee and Eden Prairie.

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. The northbound lanes at the Canadian Pacific Rail will be reduced to a single lane so crews can widen the bridge. Night and weekend lane shifts on I-494 can be expected through November as crews remove the guardrails to reconstruct the road shoulders.

Hwy. 36 in east metro

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

Be cautious as you pass through the bridge reconstruction zone at Louisiana Avenue. Traffic has been switched to the new Hwy. 7 bridge and a few changes recently went into effect.

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.

Hwy. 55 between Rockford and Buffalo

Motorists will encounter overnight delays on Hwy. 55 between Rockford and Buffalo as lanes close and flaggers hold traffic for up to 20 minutes at a time Thursday through Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning.

Flaggers and a pilot car will allow one-way, alternating traffic through each night's work zone. Drivers entering a work zone from roads or driveways that intersect Highway 55 must wait for the pilot car to pass, then follow it through the work zone

The MDRA City of Lakes 25K takes place from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday, affecting parkways surrounding Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun.