A busy northwest metro highway will be shut down for the weekend as the Minnesota Department of Transportation takes down a bridge as part of a reconstruction project.
From 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday, Hwy. 169 will be closed in both directions between the Interstate 94/694 interchange in Brooklyn Park and Interstate 394 in Golden Valley, the agency said.
Crews shut down the 63rd Avenue bridge on Monday and will demolish it over the weekend to make way for a new bridge that is expected to open to traffic in October, the agency said.
The bridge, which carries about 5,400 vehicles a day, connects Maple Grove with Brooklyn Park. It was built in 1968 and has deteriorated to a point where it needs to be fully replaced, MnDOT said.
In addition to a new bridge, MnDOT will extend acceleration lanes at the tight interchange and construct a multi-use trail between Mendelssohn Avenue and Magda Drive. The $5 million project designed to improve traffic flow and safety also includes accessibility improvements and new signs at the I-94/694 interchange.
More than 82,500 vehicles per day use the stretch of Hwy. 169 that will be closed over the weekend. Motorists will be detoured via I-394, I-494 and I-94.
In June, MnDOT will begin work on replacing the 36th Avenue bridge over Hwy. 169. The bridge connecting New Hope with Plymouth will be raised to provide a higher clearance, the agency said.
