Weekend traffic: Closures on I-394 and I-94 in Minneapolis will put drivers on detour

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is reminding anglers heading to this weekend's fishing opener to plan ahead and leave plenty of time to get to their destination. The advice also holds true for motorists traveling in downtown Minneapolis where two freeways will be closed.

Interstate 94 will be shut down in both directions Friday night to Monday morning between Hwy. 55 and Interstate 35W. Crews will be working on the pedestrian bridge connecting Loring Park and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. While they are at it, the Lowry Hill Tunnel will get washed.

The general traffic lanes on westbound Interstate 394 between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy. 100 will be closed. All drivers - not just carpools - will be able to use the MnPass lane without charge, but they'll have to access the lane from one of the downtown entrances at Washington Avenue, 3rd or 7th streets or Hawthorne/Linden avenues.

The biggest traffic generating events include a Loons matinee Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium and a 7 p.m. Lynx game that night at Target Center.

Outside the metro, construction has I-35 down to one lane in each direction south of Owatonna. The same is true north of the Twin Cities between Rush City and Pine City. Big backups could also from on Hwy. 169 between Belle Plaine and Jordan.

Here's where you'll find construction that could slow your trip to Mother's Day celebrations.

Minneapolis

1. Interstate 94: Closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 55 and I-35W.

2. Interstate 394: Westbound general traffic lanes closed 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday from I-94 to Hwy. 100. MnPass lanes remain open. Hennepin Avenue/Lyndale Avenue closed between Dunwoody Boulevard and Oak Grove Street, near Loring Park.

3. Downtown exits off northbound I-35W: Single lane in vicinity of Franklin Avenue bridge Friday and Saturday.

4. Penn Avenue N.: Three closures related to construction of the C-Line bus rapid transit line are in place: 26th to Lowry avenues, 17th to 21st avenues and 12th to 14th avenues.

5. University Avenue: Closed between Lowry Avenue NE. and 44th Avenue NE. in Columbia Heights.

6. Crosstown Hwy. 62: Eastbound reduced to a single lane at 34th Avenue from 8 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday.

St. Paul

7. Wabasha Street: Closed from Plato Boulevard to Cesar Chavez Street due to a rock slide.

8. Interstate 94 at Mounds Boulevard: Westbound ramp closed 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.

9. Hwy. 149/Smith Avenue: The High Bridge over the Mississippi River is closed until December.

North Metro

10. Interstate 35 in Forest Lake: Northbound reduced to two lanes from Hwy. 97 to Hwy. 8.

11. Hwy. 10 in Elk River: Eastbound reduced to one lane and westbound to two lanes and sometimes one for between Joplin Street and Upland Avenue. Periodic lane closures from Hwy. 101 to Thurston Avenue.

12. Hwy. 169 in Champlin: Single lane traffic in both directions between Hwy. 610 and East Hayden Lake Road.

South Metro

13. Hwy. 50 in Farmington: Single lane between Hwys. 3 and 52. Flagging operations will occur between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily through late August.

14. 66th Street in Richfield: Closed to through traffic between Girard and Xerxes avenues S. The project extends from Xerxes Avenue on the west end to 16th Avenue South on the east end.

15. Hwy. 13 in Prior Lake: Reduced to one lane in each direction controlled by flaggers from 4 a.m. to midnight Saturday between 160th Street and Candy Cove Trail.