Hospitals, Public Transit Prep For Widespread Road Closures

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Interstate 35W is a straight shot between home and the University of Minnesota for graduate student Will Summitt, who is heading back to school for the summer.

With red detour signs already up, he is preparing for the worst.

"I'm reading all the signs, I'm asking all the bus drivers where they are going to take me so I end up in the right place in the end," Summitt said.

The closures, both this weekend and beyond, are a part of a four-year, $240-million project affecting a heavily-traveled stretch of highway south of downtown Minneapolis.

Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, parts of I-94 and 35W will be most affected.

For the weekend, I-94 will close both lanes between I-394 and 35W until 5 a.m. Monday.

For the next four months, the Grant Street exit off of 35W will be closed.

And for the next three years, the ramp from 94E to 35W south will be shut down.

Located smack dab in the middle of the construction zone, Abbott Northwestern Hospital has been preparing for summer construction for the entire year by educating emergency crews.

"Paramedics and the EMTs are very equipped with devices and they are really tuned in to what's open and what's closed," said Tony LaCroix-Dalluhn, vice president of Operations at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

The hospital is letting some workers telecommute instead of sitting in traffic, and is trying to be as flexible as possible with appointments.

"If you get caught in traffic, give us a call and we will rearrange things as much as possible to accommodate your needs," LaCroix-Dalluhn said.

Click here for more information on the project, and click here for more information on Metro Transit detours.