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Weekend traffic: Wild hockey and road construction are biggest traffic hassles

With it being Easter weekend, the calendar is light on major traffic-generating events, but do expect traffic jams to form in downtown St. Paul Friday ahead of the Wild-Blues playoff game at the Xcel Energy Center.

By Tim Harlow

April 15, 2017 at 2:46AM

The Good Friday holiday meant fewer commuters on the roads Friday morning and that trend may continue throughout the weekend.

With it being Easter weekend, the calendar is light on major traffic-generating events, but do expect traffic jams to form in downtown St. Paul Friday ahead of the Wild-Blues playoff game at the Xcel Energy Center. Fans heading the arena will find road construction on I-94 east of downtown St. Paul and in Minneapolis, so plan on allowing extra time. And remember, the puck drops at 7 p.m. so there what's leftover of any rush hour traffic to deal with.

The Twins are back in town with a night game Friday and day games Saturday and Sunday at Target Field. The Harlem Globetrotters, the wizards of the hard court, entertain Saturday at Target Center.

Transit riders won't find any big disruptions on bus routes or light-rail lines, but here is where drivers could.

Hwy 10 at I-35W: The ramp from westbound Hwy 10 to northbound I-35W is closed through late-August.

Hwy 36: Lane closures in both directions between I-694 and Oak Park Heights for cable median barrier installation.

Hwy. 51/Snelling Avenue: One lane in each direction between Como Avene and Hwy. 36 through October.

I-94: Expect lane shifts and restrictions in both directions between Shingle Creek Pkwy and Nicollet Avenue through the end of the 2017 construction season. Lane restrictions and temporary exit/entrance ramp closures between Mounds Boulevard in St. Paul and Century Avenue in Maplewood. Westbound drivers can choose an express lane or one that will allow access to city streets.

Hwy. 95: Both directions are single lane under the new St. Croix Crossing bridge through May 13.

Hwy 169: Both directions of Hwy 169 between Bren Rd and 7th St (5th St, Lincoln Dr) is closed until October as the Nine Mile Creek bridge is replaced. Also: Several lane closures and the ramp from westbound I-394 to southbound Hwy 169 is closed through October.

I-494: Left lane closed on eastbound sideat Penn Avenue from 10 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. Monday. One lane moved to shoulder for 3 weeks as MnDOT repairs a sinkhole on the eastbound shoulder

I-694: Westbound is reduced to two lanes from and the ramp from Rice Street to westbound 694 is now closed for the duration of project work, expected to run until late fall.

66th Street in Richfield: Closed between Girard Avenue South and Xerxes Avenue South.

Downtown Minneapolis: Westbound Washington Avenue is closed between 5th Avenue S. and Hennepin Avenue.

Minneapolis Parkways: On Saturday, West River Parkway between Plymouth Avenue and E. 27th Street and southeast Main Street and the Stone Arch Bridge from 7:30 a.m. to noon. All of Lake Calhoun Parkway from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

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.