Transit users in the west metro may need to consult maps and schedules as Metro Transit introduces service changes on routes serving St. Louis Park's West End and the I-394 corridor. The changes on express and local routes 9, 25, 604, 649 and 675 go into effect Saturday. They are aimed addressing growing employment and residential needs, changing travel patterns and new demographics, the transit agency said.
On the roads, MnDOT has canceled a planned weekend closure on I-94 from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center. But drivers will find plenty of other closures and detours across the metro.
The biggest traffic jams may form on Hwy. 169 south of Shakopee with opening of the Renaissance Festival. The Twins have games at Target Field Saturday and Sunday. The Saints play at CHS Field in St. Paul Saturday and Sunday. The Xcel Energy Center hosts a Lynx game Friday and a concert Saturday.
Police statewide will be looking for drunken drivers as a two-week enforcement campaign kicks off. It runs through Labor Day.
Interstate 94 in Minneapolis and St. Paul
1. I-94 from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center: All vehicles over 9,000 pounds are prohibited from the Lowry Hill Tunnel. The freeway is reduced to two lanes in each direction on the westbound side of the tunnel. Ramps from east I-394 to east I-94, east I-94 to south I-35W, north I-35W to west I-94 west, Hwy. 55 to east I-94 and 49th Avenue to east I-94. One lane on the ramp from east 94 to 4th Street is closed.
2. I-94 from St. Paul to Maplewood: Eastbound has one lane set aside for through traffic while one lane is for drivers who want to access local streets. Lane and restrictions and ramp closures between Century Avenue and Mounds Boulevard.
Minneapolis
3. Cedar and Portland avenues: Closed between 28th and Lake streets.
East Metro
4. Hwy. 51/Snelling Avenue in Falcon Heights: Single lane in each direction between Como Avenue and Hwy. 36.
5. I-35E in St. Paul: Lane restrictions in the vicinity of Shepard Road.
6. Hwy. 110 in Mendota Heights: Westbound lanes closed between I-494 and I-35E through early fall.
7. Hwy. 95 in Afton: Southbound lanes between 15th and 21st streets.
8. Hwy. 61 in Cottage Grove: The County Road 19/Innovation Road overpass is closed.
9. Hwy. 5 in St. Paul: Both directions at Payne Avenue reduced to two lanes.
North Metro
10. Eastbound 694 in Shoreview: Restricted to two lanes separated by a concrete barrier between Hwy. 10 and I-35E. The inside lane carries through traffic and drivers must continue east on I-694. The outside/right lane allows access to local streets and drivers must continue south on I-35E. Westbound traffic is down to two lanes.
11. I-35W at Hwy. 10 in Arden Hills: Ramps from west Hwy. 10 to north I-35W and north I-35W to County Road I are closed.
12 Hwy. 10 in Elk River: Intermittent lane closures between Waco Street and Joplin Street.
West Metro
13. Hwy. 169 in Edina, Plymouth and St. Louis Park: Closed between Bren Road and Lincoln Drive/5th Street and single lane between I-394 and Excelsior Boulevard. The ramp from west I-394 to south Hwy. 169 is closed. The ramp from east I-394 to north Hwy. 169 closed from 7 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday.
14. I-494 in Bloomington: Nighttime lane restrictions between Hwy. 100 and France Avenue S.
South Metro
15. 66th Street in Richfield: Closed to through traffic between Girard and Xerxes avenues S.
16. 86th Street in Bloomington: The overpass at I-35W is closed.
17. Hwy. 13 in Burnsville and Savage: Lane closures between Hwy. 169 and Washburn Avenue.
18. Hwy. 55 in Inver Grove Heights: Lane restrictions in the vicinity of Argenta Trail.
19. Hwy. 3 in Castle Rock: The highway is closed between W. 275 and 280th streets.
20. Southbound Hwy. 169 in Shakopee: One lane closed between Hwy. 41 and W. 145th Street.
