Long portion of I-35E in northeast metro will be closed this weekend

The southbound lanes of the freeway will be closed from Columbus to Little Canada.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 15, 2024 at 12:02PM
MnDOT will close the southbound lanes of I-35E between Columbus and Little Canada for pavement repair this weekend. (Minnesota Department of Transportation)

For the second straight weekend, a long stretch of I-35E in the northeast metro will be closed from Friday night to Monday morning.

This time around, the southbound lanes will be closed between the Forest Lake split where I-35E and I-35W meet in Columbus and I-694 in Little Canada. The 20-mile segment will close at 9 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

Crews will be carrying out a pavement repair and repaving project, weather permitting.

Motorists will be detoured south on I-35W, then east on I-694 during the closure.

Last week, MnDOT tackled the northbound lanes along the same segment.

More than 84,000 vehicles use I-35E on the south end of the closure. That number drops in half on the north end of the closure, according to MnDOT traffic counts.

The forecast calls for a slight chance of showers Friday night, but mostly sunny conditions and highs in the 80s Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service said.

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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