Another major highway in the Twin Cities is the site of a construction project that'll have an adverse effect on traffic.
If you are a regular user of Interstate 394, you are going to notice a difference starting this week. Crews on Monday morning closed the EZ Pass lane on 394 between downtown Minneapolis and Highway 100.
"I would caution people to use extra time out there for the trips, maybe look for an alternate route that can get them to and from work without using 394," MnDOT's Kent Barnard says. "Otherwise they are going to be in the general lanes of traffic for Interstate 394 in this area."
Crews are repairing bridges and ramps along that section of 394. The work is expected to be completed in November but the entire project won't wrap up until later in 2026.
Barnard says work on projects like this one on 394, and major closures on I-94, I-494 and other projects that had been delayed, started at almost the same time this year.
"I hate to use the term, but it's almost like a perfect storm," says Barnard. "We have a lot of needs out there, a lot of projects that have been in the works for quite a few years, and it all came together this year. That's why you're seeing more construction."
Barnard says some big road projects are close to completion, such as the 94 eastbound project between Minneapolis and St. Paul. MnDOT is hoping to get that stretch of roadway ready before increased traffic for the Minnesota State Fair which starts early this year on August 21st.
Construction schedule
July to November 2025 - I-394 EZ Pass lanes closed in both directions between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy 100.
Spring 2026 to summer 2026 - Westbound I-394 will be reduced to two lanes using EZ Pass lanes between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy 100. The Penn Ave. bridge will be closed.
Summer 2026 to fall 2026 - Eastbound I-394 is reduced to two lanes using E-EZ Pass lanes between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy 100. The Penn Ave. bridge will be closed.
