I-35E traffic over Shepard Road shifts to temporary embankment for bridge replacement Tuesday, July 7, in St. Paul
Southbound I-35E to be reduced to one lane from West Seventh Street to the Shepard Road ramp
ROSEVILLE, Minn. – Traffic on I-35E will shift onto a temporary embankment alongside the existing bridge over Shepard Road beginning the evening of Monday, July 6, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. All traffic is expected to be using the temporary embankment by the morning of Tuesday, July 7.
No highway closure is planned while bridge construction continues. The bypass will maintain two lanes of traffic on northbound I-35E while reducing to one lane of traffic on southbound I-35E from West Seventh Street to the Shepard Road ramp. Bike and pedestrian trail access along Shepard Road remains detoured slightly through an existing nearby tunnel under I-35E.
Motorists may encounter overnight lane shifts on July 6 as crews move traffic to the temporary roadway. Motorists may experience slowed traffic and should use caution while traveling through the work zone.
This embankment was created by placing 23,000 cubic yards of temporary dirt, or the equivalent of 4,000 elephants. Driving on the temporary embankment will feel similar to driving on a bridge with lighting and protective barriers in place. By moving traffic onto the bypass, construction crews can continue to make progress, shorten the overall project timeline and reduce long-term traffic impacts on the public. Once the I-35E bridge over Shepard Road reopens in fall 2026, traffic will shift from the embankment back to the bridge, and the embankment will be removed, reopening Shepard Road.
All construction activities and traffic impacts are weather and schedule dependent and subject to change.
For more information and to watch a video about the temporary embankment creation, visit the project webpage at mndot.gov/metro/projects/i35estpaul-lilydale.
###