MnDOT Announces 4-Year Construction Project For Interstate 35W
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Road construction in Minneapolis is about to really ramp up.
On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the details of a four-year improvement project for Interstate 35W. It goes all the way from downtown to Highway 62.
The work will take place in stages beginning next week at an estimated cost of $240 million. We talked with MnDOT leaders about the changes drivers will see.
MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle called this road construction project "significant and complicated." Drivers headed in and out of downtown Minneapolis will be encountering even more detours, but when the work is all done, they'll see plenty of benefits.
The changes coming to 35W are dramatic.
"We will have the result of a project that will be safer, better connected to our neighborhoods. It will be easier commutes," Zelle said.
By the year 2021, there will be two new exits ramps off the interstate. If you're headed north, you'll be able to get off at 28th Street. If you're headed south, you'll be able to exit at Lake Street.
And the project paves the way for the new high speed buses on 35W.
"This project is the last huge step of completion of Orange Line Rapid Transit, which will provide high speed access from Burnsville to Minneapolis," Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said.
MnDOT is also building a two-level Lake Street transit station. City and state leaders took a tour of the areas along 35W that will be impacted by the construction.
Crews will be replacing 11 bridges, repaving four others, extending noise reduction walls and adding MNPass lanes.
"35W was built in 1965 so it's a little more than 50 years old. We generally say pavement and bridges last about 50 years," MnDOT Engineer Aaron Tag said.
The State Patrol is encouraging drivers to be patient and alert as they navigate construction zones and detours.
"Pay attention, put the phones down, put the food down, pay attention to the construction zone. These will change almost daily," Captain Mike Hanson with the State Patrol said.
The first phase involves closing the Franklin Avenue and Portland Avenue bridges so they can be refurbished. That work starts just after Labor Day.
You won't see any major lane or ramp closures on 35W until next summer. You can sign up for email alerts from MnDOT find out see what's closed and when, and get the schedule for open houses where you can ask questions.
