Kids & Family
Fourth of July Travelers Will Likely Hit Detours
MnDOT urges drivers to check statewide traffic and construction as they plan their Fourth of July travels.
Those traveling out of town for the Fourth of July might want to plan on encountering some detours along the way.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is urging drivers to take extra caution as they make travel plans for the holiday.
"As is the case every year, there will be work zones scattered around the state this summer and into the fall, including some affecting the state’s busiest highways and interstates,” said Mike Barnes, director of the department’s District Operations Division.
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Though MnDOT will put some construction on hold during the Fourth of July, most drivers will still encounter detours and traffic restrictions along the way.
Most notably is the Interstate 694 resurfacing and reconstruction project currently underway. This project is replacing the roadway surface on roughly six miles of I-694, affecting Oakdale, Mahtomedi, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake and Maplewood. Traffic impacts from the project include:
Find out what's happening in Oakdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Ramps are closed to and from westbound I-694 at Highway 36 and White Bear Avenue.
- Eastbound and southbound I-694 between Highway 61 and 40th Street are reduced to a single lane.
- Westbound I-694 traffic has been switched to the eastbound side of the roadway and reduced to a single lane.
The project should be completed by October.
“While there won’t be much construction activity during the July Fourth holiday, drivers should still watch for equipment, traffic changes and any highway workers who may be present in the work zones,” Barnes said.
For more information on the latest statewide traffic and construction visit www.511mn.org or call 5-1-1.
Depending on where you're traveling, here's a list of other construction projects across the state:
- Hwy 169/I-494 — Bloomington, Edina and Eden Prairie
- I-694 — Arden Hills and New Brighton
- Highway 169 — Grand Rapids
- I-94 — east of Moorhead at Buffalo River bridges
- Highway 53 — Cotton
- I-35 — south of Duluth to White Bear Lake
- Highway 23 — St. Cloud to Foley
- Highway 10 — Clear Lake to Big Lake
- Highway 61 — East Indian Creek near Weaver in Wabasha County
- Highway 15 — North Mankato
- Highway 60 — Worthington to Bigelow
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