Work resumes on major freeway project in downtown St. Paul

A major disruption for Twin Cities drivers returns Monday, as work resumes on a multi-year project involving Interstates 94 and 35E in downtown St. Paul.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the initial traffic effects will include:

• Lane closures starting Monday on both directions of I-94 between I-35E and Marion Street.

• The ramp from 12th Street to westbound I-94 and southbound 35E near the State Capitol grounds will close on Tuesday.

• The ramps from westbound I-94 to Marion Street, and University Avenue to westbound 94/Southbound 35E, close Wednesday. There'll also be a traffic pattern change for drivers heading from southbound 35E to westbound 94.

But the most critical of the Wednesday traffic changes will be the closure of the exit from westbound I-94 to 12th Street. That's a key access point for Regions Hospital for drivers traveling from the east metro — and that hospital traffic is going to be detoured all the way to Dale Street and back. That ramp is scheduled to reopen in early June.

The overall project through mid-summer involves resurfacing the interstates, repairing ramps, railings and sidewalks, and resurfacing the Robert Street bridge over the freeway. MnDOT says drivers should expect significant disruptions as the project proceeds through the summer.

From mid-summer through fall this year, MnDOT says, the work will move east to the stretch of I-94 between I-35E and Mounds Boulevard.

Find more details here.

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