MnDOT Announces West Metro Construction Projects

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – MnDOT says crews will begin working on several projects in the West Metro beginning in April.

MnDOT spokesperson Bobbie Dahlke says having this many projects in the same area means drivers could see obvious alternate routes that are also very backed up or closed for a period of time.

"We have had a milder winter which means we can start earlier in the year than we typically would," Dahlke said.

Dahlke says crews will mostly be working to patch up the roads and bridges on parts of Hwy 100. Traffic will be moved to one side of the road and divided into two lanes going northbound and two lanes going southbound with a concrete barrier separating the lanes.

The project is expected to last about two years, according to MnDOT officials.

"On Hwy 100, we had talked about commutes during the morning rush hour taking six to eight times longer between Robbinsdale and 494," Dahlke said.

Several drivers told WCCO they already spend a lot of time sitting in traffic along Hwy 100.

"Wow, that's a little scary," Leo Eppe said.

Keith Page is one of those drivers. He says he's worried what will happen to other nearby routes.

"I'm not really excited about that because it puts more pressure on the rest of the highway system," he said.

The projects also include construction on I-494 between Minnetonka and Maple Grove, resulting in a few temporary lane closures, along with some east and westbound parts of I-394 near downtown Minneapolis.

Dahlke says MnDOT tries not to schedule several projects in the same area but it could not be avoided this time because of funding deadlines and safety concerns.

For now, Dahlke says all drivers can do is plan ahead for a longer commute.

"Leave a little bit later, that would be helpful to keep their sanity a little bit," she said.

The projects will have to wrap up in time for more construction that is planned in 2017 to parts of I-35W and I-94 near downtown Minneapolis.