I-494 construction update: Traffic changes begin

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Motorists will notice lane changes and ramp closures beginning this evening along the Woodbury corridor of Interstate 494 as the Minnesota Department of Transportation and construction crews launch a four-month road project.

Work from Thursday through early Monday morning is in preparation for an upcoming traffic switch for southbound traffic. Work will primarily include removal of existing lane lines and edge lines on the northbound side, setting up a portable concrete barrier on the northbound side, temporary signing and striping and the installation of detour and business signing.

Most of the project is focused on expanding sections of the freeway to create three continuous traffic lanes in each direction from the I-94 interchange south to the Wakota Bridge.

As a result:

-- Northbound I-494 traffic will be condensed to a single lane from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.

-- There will be a single lane of southbound traffic on Sunday.

-- By Monday, southbound traffic will be shifted to lanes on the northbound side of the interstate. That will occur Sunday night or Monday morning, and will remain in place through the middle of May.

-- Beginning Monday, the southbound exits to Valley Creek and Lake roads will be closed through May, while the southbound interstate entrances from those two roads will be closed through mid-May.

-- The southbound exit and entrance ramps at Tamarack Road will remain open.

For more information, go to: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i494and694/index.html

Check the Woodbury Bulletin for frequent traffic updates throughout the I-494 construction project.

Tags: road construction, local news, woodbury