Portion of I-35W closing over the weekend

Part of Interstate 35W will be closed over the weekend as construction crews work to resurface and add an additional lane to the highway, one weekend after it was originally scheduled to happen.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) says it will close I-35W in both directions in Bloomington and Richfield starting at 10 p.m. Friday.

The closure will be from Highway 62 to 106th Street and will last through 5 a.m. Monday.

Additionally, MnDOT says northbound I-35W will be closed between 106th Street and I-494 from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Those closures are so crews can build bridge piers in the median of the interstate, finish utility work and start permanent ramp construction.

Travelers will be detoured to I-35E to Highway 77 to Highway 62, according to MnDOT, while southbound I-35W travelers will be detoured to I-494 to Highway 77 to the 35E/35W split.

This is the last of three weekend closures of I-35W between I-494 and I-35E, the department says. However, after this weekend, the ramp from southbound I-35W to westbound I-494 will stay closed through November for permanent ramp construction.

As always, MnDOT urges travelers in the area to plan ahead and allow extra time to get to destinations.

More information on the project is available online.