Heads-up: Key stretch of I-35W closing this weekend

Interstate 35W will not be your friend this weekend.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will close the highway starting Friday night between Burnsville and Bloomington while crews remove bridges, do some paving and conduct other maintenance.

Here are the basics:

• Northbound I-35W will close between the Interstate 35 split in Burnsville and Interstate 494 beginning at 10 p.m. Friday. Drivers should follow the detour using I-35E, Cedar Avenue/Highway 77 and I-494 to bypass the closure, MnDOT said Wednesday.

• Southbound I-35W will fully close at the same time between I-494 and 90th Street and remain a single lane southbound between 90th Street and I-35, MnDOT added. Drivers should bypass the closure using I-494, Cedar Avenue/Highway 77 and I-35E.

While the highway is closed, MnDOT plans to pave northbound I-35W at McAndrews Road in Burnsville, remove the 86th Street bridge over I-35W in Bloomington and remove part of the 82nd Street bridge deck over I-35W in Bloomington.

Crews will start closing the I-35W ramps at 8 p.m. Friday to prepare for the hard closure at 10 p.m. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.