Commuters might want to take a couple extra-strength Excedrin before heading out the door this week. Construction delays could spawn headaches of the migraine variety.
In the west metro, two large projects have already clogged main arteries, sending drive times skyrocketing along with the blood pressure of many drivers. This week, east metro commuters will start feeling the pain. West metro drivers, there's even more of that coming your way.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is getting back to building the new MnPass express lane on I-35E through Maplewood and St. Paul, and it comes with a host of lane and ramp closures and traffic shifts. Some of them will be in place by the time commuters head to the office Monday morning.
This week, crews will be setting up barriers and re-striping lanes that will bring nightly lane closures in both directions of I-35E between Little Canada Road and Maryland Avenue. Lane reductions will be in place from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Through Wednesday, 35E will have three lanes open in both directions during peak periods. On Thursday southbound drivers will start feeling the pinch as traffic gets shifted to the northbound lanes and reduced to two lanes.
Starting Monday, drivers won't be able to get onto northbound 35E from Maryland and Roselawn Avenues or from either direction of Hwy. 36. By Friday, more ramp closings will be in place: no access to southbound 35E from either direction of Hwy. 36 or from southbound 35E to eastbound Hwy. 36. Drivers won't be able to get on or off southbound 35E at Roselawn. That is what drivers have to look forward to until September.
"It is 'travelable,' we don't want to send the message that they can't go there," said MnDOT spokeswoman Denise Workcuff. "If there is another way to get to their destination, we advise them to consider other routes."
That leaves Hwy. 61 or Rice Street as north-south alternates, but be warned that there are lots of traffic lights on those routes. Drivers could scoot over to I-694 and then down to I-94. Going that way might keep cars moving, but it could be a wash if the extra distance wipes out the time savings.
Meanwhile, MnDOT has some ominous news for west metro commuters on Hwy. 100: By Wednesday MnDOT is predicting that southbound drivers will need 23 to 40 minutes in the mornings and 17 to 38 minutes in the afternoons to get from 36th Avenue in Robbinsdale to Excelsior Boulevard. For northbound drivers, trip times between W. 70th Street and Cedar Lake Road are forecast to be 18 to 30 minutes each morning and 22 to 36 minutes in the afternoon.
That lane switcheroo delayed by last Sunday's rain will be put in place overnight Tuesday and Wednesday. When that happens, travel in both directions will be squeezed to two lanes in each direction between Cedar Lake Road and W. 36th Street.
There are not many good alternates: I-494 has construction and Hwy. 169 is already over capacity. Come June, a resurfacing project on I-394 from Hwy. 100 to I-94 could further cripple the commute.
"Be patient, leave earlier or leave later," said Bobbie Dahlke, spokeswoman for the Hwy. 100 project. "If you leave at exactly the same time that you do now, you will be delayed."
Can we just travel by drone?
