Coming Snow Pushes Back Closures On SB I-35E
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Overnight snow forecasted for Tuesday pushed back the start of a construction campaign that would close part of southbound Interstate 35E and the ramp from Little Canada Road.
The Department of Transportation said the closures to the ramp and the freeway were originally scheduled for Monday. They've since been pushed back as snow was expected to fall into the morning, leaving a blanket of flakes inches deep in the Twin Cities metro.
And depending on the amount and duration of the snow, the closures may again be rescheduled.
As of writing, the ramp from Little Canada Road is slated to close at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Later, after 7 p.m., the right southbound lane of I-35E will be closed from the eastbound Interstate 694 ramp in the north to Highway 36 in the south.
MnDOT said the closures are needed to allow room for construction of retaining and noise walls along the west side of the freeway. The closures will remain in place during the construction of the walls and the upcoming construction season. The roads are expected to reopen in early September 2015.
When the closures go into effect, a detour for the Little Canada ramp will be in place.
The detour will take drivers west on Little Canada Road, then west on County Road C, north on Rice Street, east on I-694, and then down to southbound I-35E.
The construction is part of the I-35E MnPASS project, which, among other things, seeks to put a MnPASS lane on the freeway between Little Canada Road and Maryland Avenue. More information on the project can be found here.
