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Stretches of two Twin Cities area freeways will shut down this weekend

Closures in St. Paul and Bloomington/Richfield will put drivers on detour Friday night to Monday morning.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 5, 2024 at 2:00PM
Signs along I-494 warn drivers of a weekend closure. (Minnesota Department of Transportation)

Thousands of motorists in the east and south metro face long detours this weekend as portions of two freeways will be closed due to construction.

In St. Paul, both directions of I-94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 61/Mounds Boulevard and Hwy. 52/E. 7th Street.

In Bloomington and Richfield, westbound I-494 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between I-35W and Hwy. 100.

Eastbound lanes between Hwy. 100 and Hwy. 77/Cedar Avenue will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Then the closure will shrink and only be in place between Hwy. 100 to I-35W. Those lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

Drivers will be directed to use Hwy. 100, Crosstown Hwy. 62 and Cedar Avenue to bypass the closures, MnDOT said.

The closures on I-494 are related to a major rebuilding of the freeway to add an EZ Pass lane in both directions, rebuild bridges over I-494 and add a new ramp at the I-35W/I-494 interchange.

City of St. Paul crews will finish taking down what is left of the Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge over I-94.

A portion of the bridge connecting downtown St. Paul and the city’s East Side has already been demolished, and crews will finish the work this weekend. During the closure, eastbound motorists will be directed to use northbound I-35E to eastbound and southbound I-694 and reconnect with I-94 in Woodbury. Westbound drivers will be sent north and east on I-694 then south on I-35E, MnDOT said.

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“Anticipate delays,” the city of St. Paul warned.

In addition to difficulties for drivers, those living near the demolition project will feel the effects, too, said MnDOT spokesman Kent Barnard.

“Nearby residents and businesses will experience significant construction noise around the clock, including jackhammering and trucks hauling debris”

St. Paul will build a new Kellogg Boulevard bridge over the next 2½ years, replacing the current bridge deemed “structurally insufficient.” About 14,000 vehicles used the bridge each day. Rebuilding the longest city-owned bridge will be the largest and most complex public infrastructure project since 1995, city officials said.

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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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