I-94, Snelling Avenue drivers, get ready for more lane and ramp closures starting Monday

Getting to work or to Monday's Twins opener at Target Field will be more challenging than usual for drivers who use I-94 through Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis as road work swings in to high gear with more lane and ramp closures set to take effect.

A new construction project also begins on Snelling Avenue near the State Fairgrounds, which will have only one lane in both directions from Larpenteur Avenue to Como Avenue.

Starting Monday, eastbound I-94 will be reduced to two lanes between 53rd Avenue and Dowling Avenue with one lane closed from Dowling down to 7th Street. At the same time, ramps from 49th Avenue to eastbound 94 and the Hennepin/Lyndale ramp to eastbound I-94 also will close. The ramp closures will be in place for about two weeks.

On Monday, westbound 94 drivers will find the left lane closed between Hwy. 55 and 49th Avenue.Then on Tuesday, a second lane will close leaving only two lanes in each direction open until fall. Also on Tuesday, the ramp from Shingle Creek Parkway to eastbound 94 will shut down.

Starting Thursday, the ramp from eastbound 94 to eastbound 694 and Hwy. 252 will close. It's all part of a $46 million project to rehab pavement and fix 50 bridges between Nicollet Avenue and Hwy. 252.

In the east metro, crews will begin rebuilding a portion of Snelling Avenue between Hwy. 36 and Como Avenue. The immediate impact will be felt as the road through Falcon Heights will be down to one lane in each direction between Larpenteur Avenue to Como Avenue. This project will continue all construction season, but a bit a reprieve comes June 22-26 for the Back to the 50s car show at the fairgrounds and from Aug. 21 to Sept. 5 for the Minnesota State Fair. While lane restrictions will be lifted, don't expect smooth sailing then as both events are traffic magnets.