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If you’re traveling this weekend on Interstate 94 in St. Paul, or on Interstate 494 in Bloomington and Richfield, you may have to take a detour. 

Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, I-94 will be closed to thru-traffic both directions between Interstate 35E in downtown St. Paul and and Highways 10 and 61 on the city’s east side, to allow crews to demolish a bridge over the freeway. The closure will remain in place until 5 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9.

Thru-traffic on that stretch of Interstate 94 will be detoured using Interstates 694 and 35E. 

While the closure is in place, local westbound traffic will be able to exit the freeway at the Highway 61 / Mounds Boulevard offramp, while local eastbound traffic will be able to exit the highway at the Seventh Street and Highway 52 / Lafayette Freeway offramps.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation said the closure is to allow crews to safely remove the remainder of the Kellogg Boulevard / Third Street bridge that stretched from Broadway Street to Mounds Boulevard.

three-year, $70 million construction project

 to replace the bridge so it can accommodate more traffic, including transit, pedestrians and cyclists.

 of the bridge that found traffic couldn’t be supported on the outer portions of the bridge deck. The city permanently reduced traffic lanes and sidewalk width to ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

After that structural analysis, the old bridge was restricted to three traffic lanes and one six-foot wide sidewalk. It 

St. Paul’s Kellogg Boulevard bridge closes for 3-year construction project

Find more information on the Kellogg/Third Street Bridge construction project at the 

In the southern Twin Cities metro, westbound Interstate 494 will close from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday between Interstate 35W and Highway 100. 

The eastbound lanes will close between Highway 100 and Highway 77 from 10 p.m. Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday. After that, the closure will shorten to match the westbound closure — between Highway 100 and I-35W — through 5 a.m. Monday.

Traffic heading west will be detoured using I-35W, Highway 62 and Highway 100. Eastbound traffic will also be detoured using Highways 100 and 62. Depending on the timing, traffic will rejoin I-494 by heading south via Highway 77 or via I-35W.

MnDOT said the closures are part of a larger, $377 million project that started in 2023. Among other work, the project will add EZ Pass lanes, repair bridges over the interstate, add a pedestrian bridge at Chicago Avenue, and add a ramp at the interchange of I-35W and I-494.

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Matt Mikus

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Drivers traveling on Twin Cities freeways this weekend may encounter detours. Interstate 94 will be closed east of downtown St. Paul so crews can remove a bridge, and sections of Interstate 494 will be closed in Bloomington and Richfield.

Matt Mikus | MPR News

A map highlighting a construction project on Interstate 494.

Stretches of Interstates 94, 494 to close this weekend in Twin Cities

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