Hwy. 5 near MSP airport, key ramp on I-35W in Minneapolis to open Friday

There's good news all around for metro-area drivers, starting with the opening of westbound Hwy. 5 near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. All lanes between the Hwy. 55/62 interchange and Interstate 494 are scheduled to be back open by 5 a.m. Friday.

South Minneapolis drivers may be cheering, too. The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Friday afternoon plans to reopen the ramp from 46th Street to northbound Interstate 35W — nine months early.

"It's something we wanted to get done," said MnDOT spokesman Dave Aeikens.

The ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 reopened Wednesday, as westbound I-494 traffic was diverted onto fresh pavement covering half of a new tunnel for the Orange Line rapid bus line.

In St. Paul, Ayd Mill Road will reopen to vehicle traffic, with a lower speed limit of 35 mph, from Interstate 35E to Selby Avenue at 7 a.m. Saturday.

A new off-street pedestrian and bike trail along the corridor will open Saturday with Mayor Melvin Carter leading a bike ride and walk on the new trail from 9 to 11 a.m.

This week's warm weather allowed Ramsey County crews to put the final layer of concrete down on the Dale Street bridge over Interstate 94 in St. Paul, a project that's nearing completion.

And MnDOT has finished work at the Elm Creek Rest Area off I-94 in Maple Grove; it will reopen Saturday.

Not everything is open, however. Here are some places where construction continues:

1. Interstate 35W: Ramp from northbound I-35W to 36th Street, closed until September 2021. Ramps from northbound I-35W to westbound I-94, and from eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W, closed until fall 2021. Ramp from 5th Avenue to eastbound I-94 closed through Sunday.

2. Lake Street: Closed between Stevens and 2nd avenues through November. Single lane in both directions between Blaisdell and 5th avenues through the winter.

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

4. 10th Avenue Bridge: Closed over the Mississippi River into summer 2021.

5. 3rd Avenue Bridge: Reduced to one lane in each direction over the Mississippi River through Dec. 31.

6. County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard, Brooklyn Park: Closed between Brooklyn Boulevard and N. 83rd Avenue.

7. Interstate 35, Columbus, Forest Lake: Southbound traffic reduced to two lanes between Broadway Avenue and Lake Drive during overnight hours.

8. Interstate 35W, Roseville, St. Anthony, Arden Hills, Lino Lakes: Southbound traffic reduced to one lane between I-35/I-35E and Lexington Avenue and between County Road I and Hwy. 10 from 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. Northbound traffic reduced to two lanes between Hwy. 36 and County Road D until Nov. 15.

9. Hwy. 77/Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington: Reduced to one lane in both directions between Old Shakopee Road and Nokomis Parkway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

10. Crosstown Hwy. 62, Mendota Heights: Eastbound traffic reduced to one lane between Lexington Avenue and I-35E from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

11. Interstate 35W, Bloomington and Burnsville: Intermittent lane closures in both directions between Cliff Road and 106th Street through June 2021.

12. Interstate 94, Maple Grove, Rogers: Eastbound lanes separated by a concrete median between Hwy. 101 and the I-94/494/694 split, with two lanes designated for through traffic and one for access to local roads.

Additional eastbound lane closures at times from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Sunday. Eastbound ramp to Hwy. 101 closed 10 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday. Westbound traffic reduced to two lanes between Weaver Lake Road and Hwy. 101 from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768