I-494 to Expand in 2018

If your daily commute includes Interstate 494, you're probably used to the stop-and-go traffic on the freeway. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is aware of the problem, and wants to help.

According to the Woodbury Bulletin, officials are planning improvements to help alleviate westbound traffic near the Wakota Bridge. A future project will expand the lane that currently stops at Hardman Avenue and have it run until the Highway 52 exit.

"I know you're very well aware that in the morning sometimes in the Newport area it can get a little tough, traffic starts slowing down as it starts to back up across the Wakota bridge, backs up that ramp, and then backs up toward the Glen Road interchange," MNDOT east area manager Adam Josephson said.

"There's a backup that goes into 61 from 494 right now during a.m. peak hours, and traffic folks did some studies," Project manager Mohammad Dehdashti added.

"Right now we have five lanes going across the Wakota Bridge westbound, and one of those drops at Hartman, another drops at Concord, so it becomes three lanes to [Highway] 52. So what this project's going to do is continue the auxiliary lane that currently drops at Concord and hook it up at 52, and studies shows that if you do that it should bring the traffic to a free flow situation."

MnDOT is plans to start construction on I-494 in spring 2018 and complete it by the fall.

Read more at the Woodbury Bulletin.

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