Month-long I-35W ramp closure, I-94 lane reduction starting Monday

I-35W ramp to I-94 Closing Monday for a month

Drivers will be forced to take a long detour starting Monday after crews close the I-35W ramp to I-94 for a month-long construction project.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Starting the morning of Monday, Oct. 28, MnDOT will close the ramp from northbound Interstate 35W to eastbound Interstate 94.

Both directions of I-94 will also be reduced to two lanes between 11th Avenue South and Franklin Avenue Southeast.

What we know

The ramp and lane closures are set to happen from 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 to Friday, Nov. 29.

The closures are meant to allow crews to build crossovers that drivers can use in 2025 when MnDOT begins maintenance on five bridges along I-94 between downtown Minneapolis and the Franklin Avenue bridge that crosses I-94.

Those brides are:

I-94 bridge (Dartmouth Bridge) that spans the Mississippi River
Riverside Avenue Bridge over I-94
I-94 over Cedar Avenue
I-94 over the Light Rail Transit (Blue Line)
I-94 over Highway 55/Hiawatha Avenue

MnDOT said the five bridges will be smoother and safer when the projects are complete.

Detour available

Drivers can get around the ramp closure by using northbound I-35W to get to eastbound Highway 36, to southbound I-35E and then to I-94.

2025 projects

MnDOT says drivers can expect I-94 to be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Highway 55/Hiawatha Avenue and the Franklin Avenue bridge over I-94.

Construction crews will also close I-94 ramps at Huron Boulevard, Riverside Avenue, Cedar Avenue as well as 6th and 7th streets near downtown Minneapolis.