Road construction projects to watch in 2025
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Sorry, Minnesota drivers. Winter is over, and the orange cones cometh.
The big picture: The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced the start of road construction season, with nearly 180 projects kicking off to shore up the state's roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure.
Driving the news: The season starts with a bang late Friday in the heart of the Twin Cities, with all eastbound lanes of the Interstate 94 bridge linking Minneapolis to St. Paul set to shut down all weekend.
- The partial closure lasts through early Monday, but the project will reduce this section of I-94 to two lanes through fall.
What we're watching: Hang in there, Bloomington, Richfield, Edina — and, really, anyone who takes I-494 to MSP Airport.
- From April 28 through November, maintenance work on the I-494 bridge over the Minnesota River will close one lane in both directions.
- Immediately to the west, another sprawling 494 project that will add E-ZPass lanes, a new I-35W interchange and replace or repair several overpasses enters year three of four.
What they're saying: "Drivers should use caution as they see more work zones, more lane closures and orange cones — and most importantly more workers wearing their high-visibility safety gear along the highway," MnDOT commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said in a statement.
Here are a few more major projects to watch for:
😏 North Shore-goers, good news! Only one year left on that bridge replacement project on I-35 in Hinckley!
- The bad news: That year is this year. Pack a stress ball.
🖖 South metro commuters: I-35W will be resurfaced between the Burnsville Split and the Minnesota River.
🌉 I-394 from downtown Minneapolis to Highway 100 will see lane and ramp closures as crews repair 34 bridges.
- The pain ramps up in August when crews plan to close 394's E-ZPass lanes for roughly two months.
🦝 Coon Rapids drivers will see ramp closures as crews add a third lane in each direction to Highway 10.
🎰 Much of Arcade Street on St. Paul's East Side is closed through early summer for the first half of a two-year reconstruction project.
- Elsewhere in the city, work on 10 bridges over I-94 and I-35E will begin this spring, and a project on the John Ireland Boulevard bridge near the State Capitol will launch after the Twin Cities Marathon in October.
Plus: MnDOT is also handling a project through this fall to repair the mortar on the iconic Stone Arch Bridge.