Upcoming public events
There are several upcoming events where 35W@94 project staff will be available to talk more about this project. For more details visit the 35W@94 Meetings Page.
Traffic impacts
35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Stage 2 project area map.
Click map for larger PDF version.
Learn more about this project, including project staging, and how to move through the project area, including how to do the zipper merge.
Current
For a list of upcoming traffic impacts, see the Upcoming section.
Local street impacts
10 p.m. Fri, July 20 to 5 a.m. Mon, July 23
- 31st St. will be closed between Stevens Ave. and 2nd Ave.
6 a.m. Tue, July 17 to 5 a.m. Fri, July 20
- Midtown Greenway will be closed between Nicollet Ave. and 5th Ave.
- WB Bicycle Detour: NB 5th Ave., WB 28th St., NB Stevens Ave., WB 26th St., SB Blaisdell Ave., EB 29th St., SB Nicollet Ave.
- WB Pedestrian Detour: NB 5th Ave., WB 28th St., SB Nicollet Ave.
- EB Bicycle/Pedestrian Detour: NB Nicollet Ave., EB 28th St., SB 5th Ave.
- View complete detour map (PDF)
Lane closures
June 18, 2018 through fall 2021
- NB I-35W is reduced to three lanes from 43rd St. to downtown Minneapolis
- Note: one northbound I-35W lane will be a MnPASS lane
- View map of all lane closures (PDF)
June 18, 2018 through fall 2019
- SB I-35W is reduced to two lanes from downtown Minneapolis to 43rd St.
June 18, 2018 through fall 2018
- WB I-94 will be reduced to two lanes from Chicago Ave. to Nicollet Ave.
Ramp closures
June 15, 2018 through fall 2020
- SB I-35W to 35th St. is closed
June 8, 2018 through fall 2018
- Access to downtown (11th St/5th Ave. S/E. Grant St.) is closed from NB I-35W
- Routes into downtown:
- EB I-394 to downtown
- WB I-94 to 4th/7th St.
- Hiawatha Ave. to 7th St.
- I-35W to 3rd St/Washington Ave.
- 3rd St. (exit 17C) (PDF)
- Note: When access into downtown reopens from NB I-35W, there will only be one northbound lane available to allow for ongoing construction in the area. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes or use transit to travel in/out of downtown.
- NB I-35W to 31st St/Lake St is closed to traffic, but remain open to buses
June 8, 2018 through fall 2021
- Access out of downtown (12th St./4th Ave.) is closed to SB I-35W
- Routes out of downtown:
- 4th St. to I-35W (PDF)
- 8th St. to Hiawatha
- 6th St. to EB I-94
- 3rd St, WB I-394, WB I-94
- Washington Ave. to I-35W
- Note: In fall 2018, access out of downtown to SB I-35W will reopen only to buses; it will remain closed for all other vehicles for the duration of the project. The long-term closure is needed to allow ongoing construction in the area and to maintain effective transit operations on the limited number of available lanes on southbound I-35W. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes or use transit to travel in/out of downtown.
- EB I-94 to SB I-35W is closed
- 31st St. to SB I-35W is closed to traffic, but remain open to buses
- 35th St to NB I-35W is closed
May 18, 2018 through fall 2021
- NB I-35W to WB I-94 is closed
- Detour: WB I-694, WB Hwy 62, NB Hwy 100, EB I-394 (PDF)
- Note: There are a number of reasons this ramp is closed through fall 2021:
- This ramp is being fully reconstructed. Once complete, motorists will no longer merge on the right side of WB I-94; instead, motorists will merge on the left side and will have a dedicated lane through the Lowry Tunnel, helping to reduce congestion. The Lyndale Ave./Hennepin Ave. exit will still be accessible from WB I-94.
- Prior to the reconstruction of the ramp, there are additional construction activities in the I-35W/I-94 junction that need to happen and will be in full swing starting in mid-June 2018. Highway lanes will be reduced and shifted at various times and construction of the new ramp piers would not allow traffic to be safely switched around.
April 23, 2018 to early August 2018
- WB I-94 to 11th St. is closed
March 2, 2018 through fall 2021
- 36th St. to SB I-35W is closed
Note: There are a number of reasons this ramp is closed through fall 2021:- During the 38th St. bridge reconstruction, there is not enough room for vehicles to safely merge from the ramp onto southbound I-35W
- Once I-35W highway reconstruction work begins this summer, the number of southbound lanes will be reduced and shifted at various times while crews work for the three years after the 38th St. bridge reopens. This will make it difficult for vehicles entering from 36th St. to safely merge onto southbound I-35W.
Aug. 24, 2017 through fall 2021
- 5th Ave. S to NB I-35W is closed
Aug. 24, 2017 through early August 2018
- 5th Ave. S to EB I-94 is closed
Bridge closures
June 15, 2018 through fall 2021
- 24th St. pedestrian bridge is closed over I-35W
June 1, 2018 through early November 2018
- 26th St. bridge is closed over I-35W
- Traffic Detour: Portland Ave. to Lake St. to 1st Ave.
- Pedestrian Detour: 5th Ave. to 28th St. to 3rd Ave.
- View Detour Map (PDF)
March 2, 2018 through late July 2018
- 38th St. bridge is closed over I-35W
- EB Detour: Nicollet Ave. to 36th St. to 3rd Ave. S
- WB Detour: 3rd Ave. S to 35th St. to Nicollet Ave.
- Bicycle Detour: 1st Ave. S (NB)/Blaisdell Ave. (SB) to 40th St. pedestrian bridge to 3rd Ave. S
- Pedestrian Detour: 1st Ave. S to 40th St. pedestrian bridge to 3rd Ave. S
- View map for all 38th St. bridge detours (PDF)
Local street impacts
June 28, 2018 to fall 2018
- 2nd Ave. is closed between 38th St. and 39th St.
June 28, 2018 to early August 2018
- 2nd Ave. is closed between 29th St. and Lake St.
June 18, 2018 to fall 2018
- 4th Ave. is closed between Franklin Ave. and 25th St.
May 17, 2018 to mid-August 2018
- Stevens Ave. is closed between 38th St. and 39th St.
May 2018 to fall 2018 (tentatively)
- Park Ave. and Portland Ave. will have temporary restriping and a transit lane
- Note: The restriping of Park Ave. and Portland Ave. (between downtown and Lake St.) to add a temporary transit lane was chosen to help reduce impacts and maintain a transit advantage for transit while the 35W@94 project is underway. This new striping is temporary; it will remain in place through fall 2018, at which point Metro Transit, MnDOT and the City of Minneapolis will assess if the transit operators are comfortable that they can again provide reliable service on I-35W. Restriping is also weather/temperature dependent, so it may need to wait until spring 2019 if the decision to move back to the permanent striping is made when it is cold out.
March 2, 2018 to early August 2018
- Intersections of Stevens Ave. and Second Ave. S are closed between 37th St. and 38th St.
- Note: Residents will be able to access Stevens Ave. and 2nd Ave. S from 37th St. or 39th St. During the closure, two-way traffic on Stevens Ave. between 37th St. and 38th St. will be allowed.
September 2017 to mid-July 2018
- 5th Ave. is closed between 19th St. and 25th St.
Upcoming
Details about upcoming traffic impacts will be provided as they become available.
Lane closures
Fall 2019 through fall 2021
- SB I-35W will be reduced to three lanes from downtown Minneapolis to 43rd St.
Bridge closures
Late July 2018 through fall 2020
- 40th St. pedestrian bridge will be closed over I-35W
- Detour: Stevens Ave., 42nd St., 2nd Ave.
Local street impacts
Late July 2018
- Midtown Greenway will be closed between Nicollet Ave. and 5th Ave.
- WB Bicycle Detour: NB 5th Ave., WB 28th St., NB Stevens Ave., WB 26th St., SB Blaisdell Ave., EB 29th St., SB Nicollet Ave.
- WB Pedestrian Detour: NB 5th Ave., WB 28th St., SB Nicollet Ave.
- EB Bicycle/Pedestrian Detour: NB Nicollet Ave., EB 28th St., SB 5th Ave.
About this project
Click map for larger PDF version.
Summary of work
Work on 35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown will include:
- Converting NB I-35W Priced Dynamic Shoulder Lane between 46th St. and 26th St. to a permanent MnPASS Lane
- Constructing a new MnPASS lane on SB I-35W from 26th St. to 46th St.
- Constructing Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Station at Lake St.
- Improving access from I-35W to the Lake Street Business District by constructing two new exit ramps (NB I-35W to 28th St. and SB I-35W to Lake St.
- Upgrading accessibility by improving pedestrian accommodations with pedestrian curb ramps and sidewalk upgrades.
- Rehabilitating pavement and bridges on I-35W from 46th St. to 11th Ave., Hwy 65 from 26th St. to 15th St., and I-94 from Nicollet Ave. to Park Ave.
- Constructing new and rehabilitating existing noise barriers throughout the project limits.
Project schedule and staging
The 35W@94 Downtown to Crosstown project will be done in five stages. Learn more about the stages and anticipated schedule.
Video
35W@94: Downtown to Crosstown Project Visualization
Watch this video to visualize the completed reconstruction of I-35W from 46th St. to I-94, including the construction of an On-line Transit Station located on I-35W at Lake St.
Do the Zipper Merge
Zipper Merge Logo.
Click for Zipper Merge Video.
When you encounter a construction zone where a lane will be closed, perform the zipper merge. A zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in a "zipper" fashion into the open lane.