Travel headaches ahead as portions of 3 Twin Cities area freeways close for weekend

More motoring misery is in store for Twin Cities drivers as portions of three freeways will be closed this weekend.

That is on top of other construction projects that have drivers squeezed into fewer lanes, resulting in traffic jams.

Metro Transit Green Line riders will face inconvenience, too, as a 10-day shutdown of the eastern end of the line in St. Paul will begin Friday night. Buses will run in place of trains.

Six miles of westbound I-694 from New Brighton to Brooklyn Center will be shut down from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between I-35W and Shingle Creek Parkway, which is near Hwy. 100. That will send drivers on a detour along northbound I-35W, to westbound Hwy. 610 to southbound Hwy. 169.

In what is being dubbed a “mega maintenance” project, crews will inspect and repair bridge decks, repair and restripe pavement, clean storm drains, remove vegetation and graffiti on walls and bridges, and replace and repair lighting.

Getting from Minneapolis to St. Paul on I-94, already difficult because of a summer-long bridge repair project at the Mississippi River crossing, will be harder and likely longer. The eastbound lanes will be shut down from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday from Hwy. 280 to I-35E.

Drivers will be directed to use northbound Hwy. 280 to eastbound Hwy. 36 to southbound I-35E.

Also in St. Paul, northbound I-35E will be shut down from Hwy. 5 to I-94 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

The two closures in St. Paul come as MnDOT repairs and paints nine bridges over I-94 and I-35E this summer.

On the rails, Metro Transit will start maintenance on the Green Line at 10 p.m. Friday, continuing until 4 a.m. July 21. Crews will replace worn out track and take care of other jobs between the Raymond Avenue Station and Union Depot.

Buses will fill in along the line, but trips are likely to take longer. The agency suggests riders traveling between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul take Route 94 or use the new Metro B Line, a rapid bus line running along Selby Avenue and Lake Street, then jump on the Blue Line.