Heads-up, west metro: I-94 westbound closing this weekend

Build some extra time into your west metro driving plans this weekend. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is shutting down Interstate 94 west between Interstate 394 and Interstate 694 for paving, starting Friday night.

The closure will start at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, MnDOT said in a statement. The ramps to westbound I-94 will start closing at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Traffic will be reduced to two lanes inside the Lowry Tunnel.

The detour is I-394 to U.S. Highway 169 to I-94/694.

This weekend marks the first of several paving closures that will happen in that area in coming weeks. MnDOT said it plans to shut the eastbound lanes of I-94 from Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center to I-394 Sept. 15-18 and Sept. 22-25.

The I-94 Minneapolis to Brooklyn Center project started in March 20 resurfacing nine miles of freeway, repairing 50 bridges and repairing all ramps from Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis to Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center. The work this year is expected to be finished by the end of October.

Crews will return in spring of 2018 for ramp repairs, MnDOT said. The project is scheduled to be complete by July 2018.