Closures To Affect Drivers On I-94, I-35W

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Drivers be aware. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation this weekend is expected to be the most congested so far this year because of road construction projects. From closing a portion of I-94 in St. Paul to detours on I-35W in the north metro, drivers will need to follow detours or take alternate routes.

It's that time of the year when orange and white signs, and cones, are all too common across the Twin Cities.

"There is a lot of construction going on right now, which blocks several routes home for everybody I think," driver Pam Clark said.

Beginning Friday night, I-35W near New Brighton will be blocked at the County Road E-2 bridge for demolition. Drivers will have one lane in both directions to get around the area.

"If they could hurry it up, that'd be great," driver Yada Kano said.

There are 11 other major traffic impacts in the Metro this weekend. Closures will impact I-494 in the West Metro, to I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

"There's a lot happening and I want to stress to people they're going to have to be patient and give themselves plenty of time to get to their destinations," Kent Barnard with MnDOT said.

I-94 will close in both directions between Highway 280 and Snelling to demolish the Prior Avenue bridge deck. And while some routes may seem unaffected, drivers could still see back-ups as they are detoured to Highway 36 and I-694.

"What are you going to do? You have to deal with it but it's going to be quite a challenge," Clark said.

MnDOT tries to avoid work during weekdays to bypass making the work commute unbearable.

"By doing it on the weekend, we're hopefully going to be able to alleviate some of that it still will be inconvenient for people but come Monday morning you'll have smooth sailing to work," Barnard said.

Beyond the major interstates, Minneapolis expects heavy traffic on city streets as well. From a Volleyball tournament at the Convention Center and a benefit there Saturday night to afternoon Twins games, things could get congested.

Click here to see all of the closure information.