I-494 Near Mendota Heights Will Close This Week

TWIN CITIES, MN — Motorists traveling both directions on Interstate 494 between Highway 5 in Bloomington and Highway 149/Dodd Road in Mendota Heights will encounter a full closure beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 9.

Crews will begin closing the following ramps at 7 p.m., prior to the full closure:

• Dodd Road to westbound I-494
• I-35E to and from westbound I-494
• Pilot Knob Road to/from westbound I-494

Pilot Knob Road motorists will have access to eastbound I-494. Traffic will be detoured around the closure via I-35E and Highway 77/Cedar Avenue.

Motorists also should expect single-lane traffic on eastbound I-494 between Highway 77/Cedar Avenue and Highway 5, and westbound I-494 between Highway 149/Dodd Road and I-35E.

Beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, the westbound I-494 ramp to southbound Highway 52 will close through 2 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes.

During the closure, motorists should plan ahead and give themselves additional time to reach their destinations.

The closure is needed so crews can install a pipe beneath the road as part of a larger project on I-494 to repave the road, update drainage and repair seven bridges on an eight-mile stretch of I-494 between the Minnesota River and Third Avenue in South St. Paul.

During the two-year project, motorists can expect 14 full or partial closures of I-494. Work is scheduled to be completed by fall 2020, weather permitting, according to a news release.