Minneapolis

Road work to close key stadium departure route for 6 Vikings games, 2 concerts

Traffic troubles are expected for three months as six blocks of Washington Av. partially close.

By Paul Walsh

August 15, 2016 at 10:37AM
Traffic was getting through Sunday on westbound Washington Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, but a big stretch of that major downtown street is closing for three months starting Monday.
Traffic was getting through Sunday on westbound Washington Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, but a big stretch of that major downtown street is closing for three months starting Monday. (Paul Walsh — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A well-traveled escape route for Vikings fans on game day is closing for three months starting Monday, not long before the team's new stadium starts hosting tens of thousands of fans for major concerts and NFL football.

Six blocks of westbound Washington Avenue, just to the northwest of U.S. Bank Stadium, are being shut down for construction work and will stay that way until Nov. 15. Eastbound lanes remain open.

The closure, from Portland Avenue westward to Hennepin Avenue, comes just a few days before concerts on Friday by country star Luke Bryan and on Saturday by heavy metal legend Metallica.

Then comes football, and lots of it, during the half-mile Washington Avenue shutdown.

The new stadium hosts two Vikings preseason games, Aug. 28 and Sept. 1. Regular season games are scheduled during the closure on Sept. 18, Oct. 3, Oct. 9 and Nov. 6.

Metro Transit is getting the word out online that all-day passes for bus and light rail might be a good idea to avoid any post-entertainment chokepoints.

For those brave enough to bring their vehicles near that side of the stadium, transportation officials note that 3rd Street S., one block south of Washington Avenue, is the official detour route.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

Road crews worked Sunday [Aug. 14] on Washington Av. Near S. 2nd St. in downtown Minneapolis, along a six-block stretch of the street that will be under construction for the next three months, a period including multiple events at the new U.S. Bank Stadium nearby. Photo by Claude Peck
Road crews worked Sunday [Aug. 14] on Washington Av. Near S. 2nd St. in downtown Minneapolis, along a six-block stretch of the street that will be under construction for the next three months, a period including multiple events at the new U.S. Bank Stadium nearby. Photo by Claude Peck (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Road crews worked Sunday [Aug. 14] on Washington Av. Near S. 2nd St. in downtown Minneapolis, along a six-block stretch of the street that will be under construction for the next three months, a period including multiple events at the new U.S. Bank Stadium nearby. Photo by Claude Peck
Crews worked Sunday at Washington Avenue. The road’s partial closure will affect eight major events. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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