Driver frustration spikes as MnDOT begins another major highway project. Yes, another

Road construction has been grating on a lot of people this summer. And just like the July weather, drivers are getting hot.

There are lane closures along Hwy. 13 and Interstate 35W in Burnsville, Interstate 494 in Bloomington, Hwy. 55 in Plymouth and, perhaps the biggest traffic-tangler of the season, Interstate 94 over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.

Now comes a two-year bridge repair and pavement rehab project on Interstate 394 that starts on Monday, July 14. The real effect of that work might not be felt for another two weeks when the E-ZPass lanes between downtown and Hwy. 100 close and about 5,000 vehicles a day are shifted into the general travel lanes.

At the same time, road work on the logical and parallel alternate for drivers seeking relief, Hwy. 55, will be down to one lane from Penn Avenue to Hwy. 100.

That is driving motorists like Erich Morris crazy.

“It seems that planning for how people will get from one point of town to another is not considered in the closure,” Morris wrote in a letter he sent to MnDOT and shared with the Drive. “I have seen motorists, who spend hours and days hung up in congestion, make irrational and unsafe choices due to lack of planning and detour design and access.”

The myriad cone zones have caught the attention of State Rep. Andrew Myers, R-Tonka Bay, who is asking the same question many of us are. Why are all these projects stacked on top of each other?

Myers, who is co-vice chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy committee, said the I-94 lane closures have added about 20 minutes of gridlock traffic to his commute to and from the Capitol. And he expects the upcoming I-394 E-ZPass lane closure to increase that time substantially as motorists headed from I-394 to eastbound I-94 will be constricted to a single lane.

MnDOT is tackling 180 projects across the metro and state this summer. But it may seem like more, and that things are worse this year with so many of them concentrated in a small geographic area like along I-394 and I-94.

“MnDOT has a tough job. They are trying to balance public tolerance levels for traffic delays with the short window each summer in which our Minnesota weather allows for major road construction to be completed,” Myers told the Drive. “We also know that safety, commerce and everyday traffic needs to be considered in these situations. Yet, the simultaneous nature of the I-94 and I-394 projects this year feels over the top.”

Myers said he’s heard quite a bit from his constituents, which led him to send a letter to MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger, asking if the agency could possibly work 24/7, use extra shoulder space for another lane motorists leaving downtown Minneapolis could use to access westbound I-394, place plastic dividers on the exit from eastbound I-394 to eastbound I-94 to prevent last-second lane changes and whether MnDOT has long-term plans to improve efficiency at the bottlenecked exit.

The Drive took Myers’ questions and suggestions to MnDOT.

“We appreciate the representative reaching out and we are looking into his questions and concerns,” MnDOT said in a statement. “We understand the significant impact road construction can have on people’s lives, and we work hard to minimize that impact before and during construction for travelers and those who live near the construction.”

MnDOT urges motorists to always be attentive, drive with caution, and slow down in work zones where workers are present.

Both Myers and Morris say they support MnDOT’s efforts to upgrade and fix roads. Both also implore MnDOT to take into account the situation drivers are facing on the roads.

“People still need to access work and get around,” Morris said.