Labor Day weekend in the metro will be paired with the Highway 100 headache.
MnDOT will close Highway 100 from Highway 7 to crosstown Highway 62 starting at 7 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Tuesday. The rare holiday weekend closure comes so work on the Southwest Light Rail Project can continue.
"We're repositioning a freight rail bridge over Highway 100 to make room for our t-rail," said Southwest Light Rail spokesperson Trevor Roy. "This is just one part of a lot of activity that will be happening across the corridor and a lot of it has to do with moving freight rail track."
The weekend work comes during a break in rail activity as Twin Cities & Western Railroad will not run trains over the holiday weekend.
"This is perfect time for us to get the work done, it will be a temporary pain for a long-term gain," he Roy said.
The $2 billion Southwest Light Rail project has been moving along despite the COVID-19 pandemic taking a toll on businesses all across Minnesota.
"Fortunately, all of this work is outdoors and that's a little easier than some other places," Roy said. "Work is progressing steadily. If you drive up and down the corridor you can see there are tons of cranes that are all pretty much ours. It extends from Eden Prairie all the way to Minneapolis. There's not a single mile on this alignment where there isn't some sort of work going on."
As for the Highway 100 closure, motorists who use Hwy. 100 to detour around the northbound I-35W closure to the westbound I-94 ramp will be directed to Highway 169.
Find more about MnDOT closures here.