I-35W Closures Begin Next Week: Full Schedule

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — As weather warms up and spring arrives, work will pick up on the Interstate 35W project near downtown Minneapolis. Commuters should be aware of several upcoming closures along I-35W between Interstate 94 and Highway 62, including a full weekend closure of I-35W, the five-month closure of the 38th Street bridge and the long-term closure of the 36th Street ramp to southbound I-35W.

I-35W full weekend closure

Reconstruction of the 38th St. bridge starts March 2. Crews will begin demolition of the bridge, which requires a full weekend closure of I-35W in both directions. The weekend closure is from 10 p.m. Friday, March 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 5.

Northbound I-35W will close from Highway 62 to I-94 and southbound will close from I-94 to 46th St. Crews will work 24-hours-a-day during the weekend closure. Motorists will detour to I-394, Highway 100 and Highway 62.

38th St. bridge closes Friday, March 3

The 38th St. bridge is scheduled to close 6 a.m. Friday, March 3, The bridge will remain closed to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists through early August.

36th St. ramp to southbound I-35W closes March 2

To allow for the reconstruction activities near the 38th St. bridge, the ramp from 36th St. to southbound I-35W will close 2 a.m. Friday, March 2. Motorists will be detoured to Portland Ave. to 46th St. back to southbound I-35W. The ramp will remain closed through fall 2021.

Stevens Ave. and 2nd Ave. S access closes early March

The intersections of Stevens Ave and 38th St. and 2nd Ave. S/38th St. will also close from early March to early August during the 38th St. bridge closure. Residents will be able to access Stevens Ave. and 2nd Ave. S from 37th St. or 39th St.

During the closure, two-way traffic on Stevens Ave. between 37th St. and 38th St. will be allowed.

Additional closures beginning week of March 5

As crews continue to make progress on the Franklin Ave. bridge, some nighttime road and lane closures are going to be necessary while we set beams. The following closures are scheduled to begin the week of March 5 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily:

• On Mon, March 5 and Tue, March 6, overnight closure of the access out of downtown (from 12th St/4th Ave) to southbound I-35W, and the ramp from eastbound I-94 to southbound I-35W Overnight closure of I-35W southbound, between I-94 and Hwy 62, Wed, March 7 and Thu, March 8 will be closed
• On Friday, March 9, an overnight closure of northbound I-35W between Hwy 62 and I-94

Image via Minnesota Department of Transportation