Road construction could slow anglers' trips to Minnesota lakes

Anglers heading out of town for this weekend's fishing opener may be delayed by road construction as projects on popular getaway routes could spawn backups.

Interstate 94 northwest of the metro area will be intermittently reduced to one lane in both directions between St. Michael and Clearwater, Minn. To the north, drivers will find head-to-head traffic on I-35 between Harris and Rock Creek on the Pine-Chisago County line. And to the east in Wisconsin, bridge work at 130th Street and the Kinnickinnic River near Roberts could slow down I-94 drivers.

MnDOT has no major freeway closures in the metro area on the calendar, but here are a few places motorists could hit some construction-related snags:

1. I-35W: Ramps from northbound I-35W to S. 5th Avenue and from S. 4th Avenue to southbound I-35W are closed until July 31.

2. Hennepin Avenue: Lane reductions and full closure on some blocks between 3rd and 12th streets.

3. 10th Avenue Bridge: Closed through midsummer 2021 from 10th Avenue on the east side of the Mississippi River and S. 19th Avenue on the west side.

4. Lake Street: Reduced to one lane in each direction between S. 2nd and Blaisdell avenues.

5. Mounds Boulevard: Eastbound closed between Plum Street and Bates Avenue and between Thorn Street and Burns Avenue. Both directions closed between Bates and Thorn through May 22.

6. I-694/494 in Woodbury: Westbound reduced to two lanes from Radio Drive to Century Avenue. Ramps from eastbound I-94 to northbound I-694 and northbound I-494 to westbound I-94 are closed until July 24.

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

8. I-94 in Maple Grove: Daily lane closures on I-94 in both directions between the I-94/494/694 interchange and Hwy 101. For eastbound traffic, the left two lanes are through lanes with no on or off access to local roads until the I-94/494/694 interchange. The right lane provides access to exits at Hwy. 610, Maple Grove Parkway and Weaver Lake Road.

9. County Road 81/Bottineau Boulevard in Brooklyn Park: Closed between 79th Avenue and W. Broadway.

10. I-494 in Eagan and Mendota Heights: Westbound reduced to two lanes between Hwy. 55 and Dodd Road through June 1; ramps from northbound I-35E to westbound I-494 are closed until June 1; ramp from westbound I-494 to southbound I-35E is closed until Monday.

11. Hwy. 5 in 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 are closed through mid-July.

12. I-35W in 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.

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

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

15. Hwy. 169 in Jackson Township: Reduced to one lane between 133rd St. and Old Brick Yard Road through mid-August.

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

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768