Traveling for the July 4 holiday? MnDOT urges motorists to use caution in work zones

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation encourages motorists to plan ahead before traveling over the July 4 holiday and use extra care while driving through work zones.

There are more than 200 highway construction projects being worked on across Minnesota this year to help maintain the state's roads and bridges and improve safety for motorists. MnDOT will suspend work on most projects during the holiday, but motorists may encounter bypasses, lane closures and detours. Motorists should be prepared for slower moving traffic, consider using alternate routes and check http://www.511mn.org to get information about road construction and traffic impacts.

Highway projects that may affect weekend travel July 4 include:

Twin Cities

• I-35W Downtown to Crosstown – Northbound and southbound lane closures between I-94 and 46th Street, ramp closures

• I-35W MnPASS North – Northbound and southbound lane closures between Roseville and Blaine, ramp closures, nighttime work

• I-35 split in Forest Lake – Lane and ramp closures, single lane traffic

• I-35 Rush City – Northbound and southbound single lane traffic near Harris

• I-494 Inver Grove Heights – Eastbound and Westbound lane closures and ramp closures

• I-94 East Metro Interchange – Ramp closures through September. Intermittent lane closures on both directions of I-94 at the east metro interchange in Woodbury

Central Minnesota

• I-94 Lake Latoka near Alexandria – Single lane traffic on I-94 in both directions, Lake Latoka Rest Area closed

• Highways 55, 59, 79 Elbow Lake – Potential lane closures

• Highway 23 Marshall – Road reduced to one lane

• Highway 40 Milan – Bridge closed over Lac qui Parle Lake, detour

• Highway 67 Granite Falls – Road closed between Upper Sioux Agency State Park entrance and Yellow Medicine River bridge, detour

• Highway 67 Echo – Road closed over Boiling Spring Creek, detour

• Highway 27 Little Falls – Closed, detour through September

• Highway 28/29 Starbuck to Glenwood – Road closed, detour

• Highway 65/Highway 107 near Braham – Single lane traffic, lane shifts and reduced speeds

• Highway 169 Garrison – Lanes widths are reduced, speed limit is reduced. There are two lanes open in each direction

• Highway 15 St. Augusta to Kimball – Closed, detour through July

• Highway 55 Buffalo to Maple Lake – Closed, detour

Northern Minnesota

• I-35 Snake River bridge replacements – Highway 70 traffic detoured to Highway 7 through mid-July

• Highway 2 East Grand Forks – Traffic reduced to one lane in both directions

• Highway 2 Erskine – Lane closures, detour

• Highway 1 Red Lake – Lane closures and short term detours

• Highway 71 Koochiching County – Road closed, detour

• Highway 23 in Carlton County - Detour

• Highway 53 south of Eveleth - Single lane between Highway 37 and Eveleth

• Highway 73 between Cromwell and just south of Hibbing - Single lane/bypass

• Highway 53 from Pale Face River to South Moon Lake Drive - Lane closures, Anchor Lake Rest Area closed through late-September

• Highway 65 from Sandy River to just south of Highway 200 - Single lane closures

Southern Minnesota

• I-90 Freeborn County – Single lane traffic in each direction, reduced speeds, ramp closures and detours

• I-90 Fairmont to Blue Earth – Single lane traffic, reduced speeds and overpass bridge

• Highway 52 Interstate 90 to Chatfield – Highway 52 closed, detour through August

• Highway 14 New Ulm – Highway 14/Highway 15 closed, detour

• Highway 60 St. James – Single lane traffic in each direction, ramp closures

• Highway 14 Tracy to Revere – Road closed, detour

MnDOT urges motorists to be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

For a complete list of projects by highway or region, visit http://www.mndot.gov/roadwork/current.html. Motorists can also stay informed about projects and other transportation topics by connecting to MnDOT via social media and signing up for email updates for major projects at http://www.mndot.gov/emailupdates.