Weekend traffic: State Fair, Vikings and Blue Line delays

By far the biggest event on the calendar this weekend is the State Fair, but it's not the only large event that will attract traffic. The Vikings play a pre-season game Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis while another edition of Open Streets will take over Franklin Avenue Sunday and the Renaissance Festival continues in Shakopee.

The soggy forecast spared motorists from a closure on westbound I-94 in Minneapolis (now the weekend of Sept. 8), but rain or shine MnDOT will close the MnPASS lanes on northbound I-35E between Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake.

Blue Line trains will run only every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. Friday until 3 p.m. Sunday. Trains will share a single track between Terminal 1 Lindbergh and Humphrey Station, but delays will be felt along the entire 11-mile line.

Interstate 94 in Minneapolis and St. Paul
1. I-94 from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center: All vehicles over 9,000 pounds are prohibited from the Lowry Hill Tunnel. The freeway is reduced to two lanes in each direction on the westbound side of the tunnel. Ramps from east I-394 to east I-94, east I-94 to south I-35W, north I-35W to west I-94 west, Hwy. 55 to east I-94 and 49th Avenue to east I-94. One lane on the ramp from east 94 to 4th Street is closed.

2. I-94 from St. Paul to Maplewood: Eastbound has one lane set aside for through traffic while one lane is for drivers who want to access local streets. Lane and restrictions and ramp closures between Century Avenue and Mounds Boulevard.

Minneapolis
3. Cedar and Portland avenues: Closed between 28th and Lake streets.

4. 5th Avenue S.: The ramps to northbound I- 35W and eastbound I-94 are closed. Fifth Avenue is closed between Franklin Avenue and E. 19th Street.

East Metro
5. I-35E in St. Paul: Lane restrictions in the vicinity of Shepard Road.

6. I-35E in Vadnais Heights: Northbound reduced to two lanes from 7 p.m. Friday until 5 p.m. Sunday from County Road E to Hwy. 96.

7. Hwy. 110 in Mendota Heights: Westbound lanes closed between I-494 and I-35E through early fall.

8. Hwy. 95 in Afton: Southbound lanes between 15th and 21st streets.

9. Hwy. 61 in Cottage Grove: The County Road 19/Innovation Road overpass is closed.

10. Hwy. 5 in St. Paul: Both directions at Payne Avenue reduced to two lanes.

North Metro
11. Eastbound 694 in Shoreview: Restricted to two lanes separated by a concrete barrier between Hwy. 10 and I-35E. The inside lane carries through traffic and drivers must continue east on I-694. The outside/right lane allows access to local streets and drivers must continue south on I-35E. Westbound traffic is down to two lanes.

12. I-35W at Hwy. 10 in Arden Hills: Ramps from west Hwy. 10 to north I-35W and north I-35W to County Road I are closed.

13 Hwy. 10 in Elk River: Intermittent lane closures between Waco Street and Joplin Street.

West Metro
14. Hwy. 169 in Edina and St. Louis Park: Closed between Bren Road and Lincoln Drive/5th Street and single lane between I-394 and Excelsior Boulevard. Ramps at Bren Road are closed. The ramp from west I-394 to south Hwy. 169 is closed.

South Metro
15. 66th Street in Richfield: Closed to through traffic between Girard and Xerxes avenues S.
16. 86th Street in Bloomington: The overpass at I-35W is closed.
17. Hwy. 13 in Burnsville and Savage: Lane closures between Hwy. 169 and Washburn Avenue.
18. Hwy. 55 in Inver Grove Heights: Lane restrictions in the vicinity of Argenta Trail.
19. Hwy. 3 in Castle Rock: The highway is closed between W. 275 and 280th streets.
20. Southbound Hwy. 169 in Shakopee: One lane closed between Hwy. 41 and W. 145th Street from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.