15-Mile Stretch Of 35W Closes For The Weekend
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A heads-up about a big headache for drivers ahead of the weekend.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will shut down Interstate 35W in both directions on Friday night at 9 p.m. between Highway 62 and Interstate 694.
The 15-mile stretch will not re-open until 5 a.m. Monday morning.
"Luckily, I am going out of town, but otherwise we would probably be holing up and staying off the roads," said commuter Jenny Edwards.
The closure is a "two for one" of sorts for MnDOT.
"We figured one big closure was better than two small ones," said MnDOT Spokesperson Dave Aeikens.
Crews will be resurfacing the highway in Minneapolis, Saint Anthony and Roseville. They will also be working on the ongoing Downtown to the Crosstown project.
To get around the mess, Aeikens suggests taking Hwy. 62 to Hwy. 100, or I-35E to I-94 east.
And even after this weekend, there's more closures coming. A similar one is tentatively scheduled for next weekend.
In the midst of the sea of red taillights, there is one glimmer of hope for drivers. The exit ramp from I-94 west onto 11th Street in downtown Minneapolis is slated to open for drivers by Saturday morning.