Highway 280 from St. Paul to Roseville to close in April for major construction project
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A major Twin Cities highway will be closing completely for about four months starting in April as crews begin work on a project to overhaul the busy thoroughfare.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the closure will affect the entire length of State Highway 280 between Interstate 94 in St. Paul and Highway 36/Interstate 35W in Roseville.
“This is a pretty major project,” said Chris Bower, MnDOT’s North Area engineer, “and as we were thinking about how to best get the work done, we can get this work done the safest and the fastest by doing a full closure of Highway 280.”
The highway will close in two phases. The northbound lanes will close at 5 a.m. on April 13. The southbound lanes will close later in April, after crews complete work at the Broadway Street intersection to allow access for commercial truck traffic during the project.
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Both directions will remain closed through late August with the goal to reopen in time for the start of the Minnesota State Fair.
The highway is a major travel link in the heart of the Twin Cities, connecting I-94 and Highway 36/I-35W. It carries about 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles a day.
But the highway infrastructure is aging, with the most recently built sections well over 50 years old. Bower said the drainage infrastructure, the pavement and even the bridges are starting to show their age.
“You can see this when you’re driving, especially on the southern end of 280 — all the patches and the pavement on the road,” Bower said. “We’re going to replace the pipes under the road that are in poor condition. We’re going to resurface or repair the pavement, as well as repairing all the bridges.”
While Highway 280 is closed, traffic will be detoured using combinations of Interstates 35E, 35W and 94, and Highway 36. Cross streets will remain open except for Broadway Street. Energy Park Drive will be reduced to one lane in both directions, and drivers should expect increased traffic on local streets near the highway.
“35W is probably the best alternate route for most trips,” Bower said, “but for a lot of the local trips, people should expect a little bit more traffic, a little more congestion, especially on Cleveland and Raymond avenues.“
After this year’s work, MnDOT plans to conduct additional construction work in two years to repair bridges over the highway. The left-turn lane from northbound Highway 280 to Broadway Street is also slated to be permanently closed in 2028 in an effort to prevent serious crashes.
The overall project is estimated to cost $34 million.
“Closing 280 is a big deal,” Bower said. “This is going to inconvenience a lot of people, so we just want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”
Drivers can find more details about the construction project at the MnDOT website. The latest details on traffic impacts can be found at 511mn.org.
