Holiday weekend traffic: New lane configuration on Interstate 35W in north metro

It's an unusual July 4th holiday with many fireworks shows canceled amid coronavirus concerns. But people with travel plans can still count on road construction.

Motorists heading north on Interstate 35W will find a new traffic pattern between Lake Drive and Sunset Avenue in Blaine. The left lane is a through lane with no access to exits to local roads. Drivers needing to get off the freeway should use the right lane.

A similar arrangement is in place on eastbound Interstate 94 between Hwy. 101 and the I-94/694/494 interchange in Maple Grove.

With no major freeway closures in the metro area, drivers should not have too much difficulty getting around over the holiday weekend. But the Minnesota Department of Transportation reminds drivers they will encounter temporary narrow lanes, lanes that have been closed or shifted, and detours in places.

They also will find relatively low gas prices in Minnesota. The average price for a gallon of regular-grade gas is $2.10, compared with $2.59 a year ago, according to AAA.

Here are some of the places drivers will encounter road work:

1. I-35W: Ramps from northbound I-35W to S. 5th Avenue and from S. 4th Avenue to southbound I-35W closed until July 31. Ramps from 46th Street to northbound I-35W and northbound I-35W to 36th Street closed until September 2021.

2. Hennepin Avenue: Lane reductions and full closure on some blocks between 13th Street and Washington Avenue.

3. 10th Avenue Bridge: Closed through midsummer 2021.

4. 3rd Avenue Bridge: Reduced to one lane in each direction over the Mississippi River.

5. Interstates 694/494, Woodbury: Ramps from eastbound I-94 to northbound I-694 and northbound I-494 to westbound I-94 closed until July 24.

6. Hwy. 95, Denmark Township: Closed between 70th Street and Hwys. 61 and 10 until Aug. 28.

7. Interstates 35E/35, Forest Lake and Hugo: Off-peak lane closures between Hwy. 8 and one mile south of the I-35 split.

8. Hwy. 169, Jackson Township: Reduced to one lane between 133rd Street and Old Brick Yard Road through mid-August.

9. Hwy. 13, Prior Lake: Intersection of Hwy. 13 and County Road 21 closed through July 22.

10. Hwy. 13, Mendota and Lilydale: Closed in both directions between Sylvandale Road and Wachtler Avenue through July 10.

11. Hwy. 5, Bloomington and St. Paul: Eastbound lanes closed between I-494 and Davern Street; ramps from both directions of Hwys. 62 and 55 to eastbound Hwy. 5 closed through mid-July. Ramp from 34th Avenue to eastbound I-494 closed through Monday.

12. I-494, Bloomington: Both directions have overnight lane closures between Cedar Avenue and Hwy. 100 through Aug. 31.

13. I-35W, Richfield: Reduced to two lanes between 76th and 86th streets until Aug. 31; ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 closed until Sept. 1.

14. I-35W, Bloomington and Burnsville: Lane closures between 106th Street and Cliff Road from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

15. Hwy. 41, Chaska and Chanhassen: Closed between Peavey Road and W. 82nd Street until July 13.

16. Hwy. 101, Chanhassen: Closed between Flying Cloud Drive and Lakota Lane.

17. Shoreline Drive and Shadywood Road, Orono: Intersection reconstruction is underway; Narrows Bridge on County Road 19 closed until August.

18. County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard, Brooklyn Park: Closed between 79th Avenue and W. Broadway until July 13.