Brace yourselves, drivers: MnDOT announces 2023 construction projects
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotans can't catch a break. Just as we've started to bid adieu to winter weather, state transportation officials are there to remind us road construction season is imminent.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced more than 200 construction projects for 2023 on Wednesday, including about 170 road construction projects.
You can view all of MnDOT's plans by clicking here, but we've compiled some of the most impactful projects below.
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Metro projects
Several metro projects will cause detours or delays.
Interstate 35W will be resurfaced with added lanes between 98th and 106th streets in Bloomington. MnDOT didn't say exactly how traffic would be impacted. The project is expected to wrap up by late September.
The westbound and eastbound ramps from Highway 36 to Fairview Avenue in Roseville will close for 30 days this summer so they can be rebuilt and realigned. MnDOT said the project would reduce "potentially dangerous" traffic backups during peak shopping times at nearby Rosedale Mall.
The first of four projects to revamp Interstate 494 from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Highway 169 begins this summer. This first leg will affect I-494 from East Bush Lake Road in Edina to 12th Avenue North in Richfield. An EZ-Pass lane will be added from Highway 100 to I-35W, a new ramp will be added at the I-35W/I-494 interchange and a new pedestrian bridge will be added at Chicago Avenue, among other things. Click here for more information on the entire I-494 project, or here for details on the first part.
It's not all delays and detours in the metro, though -- there is some good news for drivers heading downtown. The long-awaited reopening of the Third Avenue Bridge is scheduled to occur this summer.
Highway 52
Two continuing multiyear projects will affect Highway 52 from Rosemount, on the outskirts of the Twin Cities, all the way to Zumbrota in southern Minnesota. In particular, for a time, the highway will be down to a single lane in each direction from Rosemount to Hampton. Click here and here for more information.
Interstate 94 near Alexandria
Two projects will impact I-94 near the central Minnesota city of Alexandria. One will resurface westbound I-94 near Highway 114, while the other will add roundabouts at the eastbound and westbound ramps at the interchange with Highway 27/County Road 45/46.
Highway 10 in Anoka
This $98 million project, which began in March 2022 and is scheduled to go through spring of 2024, continues this year with bridge replacement and repair. MnDOT said travel will be "significantly delayed" during this project. To see the various associated closures and detours, click here.
Interstate 35 near Faribault
I-35 will be resurfaced from Rice County Road 48 to Highway 21 over the next two years. Other tasks, like traffic signal and light replacement, will also take place. MnDOT said the highway will be reduced to one lane in either direction at times, and two of the three ramps into Faribault may be worked on at the same time. Click here for more information.
