MnDOT giving St. Paul commuters interactive view of upgrades being made to the I-35E bridge near downtown
A new public webcam is now archiving real-time images every 15 minutes, allowing residents to monitor the full history of the ongoing I-35E infrastructure project.
MnDOT spokesperson Kent Barnard says he hopes the increased transparency will encourage drivers to stay alert and adjust their morning commutes near the work site.
"They could take a look at the camera and they could say, 'oh well, in the last 15, traffic is backed up.' Or hopefully they'll say, 'wow, look, traffic's moving so smoothly on I-35E, I don't have to worry about getting to work on time,'" says Barnard.
The agency has installed a public-facing webcam to let commuters track the near-real-time traffic flow and project milestones. The 35E bridge over Shepard Road is an aging structure that needed to get replaced. MnDOT says replacing the bridge will save money that is being spent on repairs and other maintenance in addition to providing a new, modern structure that will provide safe transportation for motorists for many years.
"The camera takes a photograph every 15 minutes, and then when the project's all done, we'll be able to turn that into a time lapse video that shows the progress on that bridge," says Barnard.
He says crews recently built a temporary paved bypass to maintain four lanes of traffic during the project near downtown St. Paul, and that later this month traffic is scheduled to shift onto the newly constructed bypass.
Their work on the bridge is scheduled to be finished in November, and then crews will focus on preparing for a secondary phase of concrete repairs slated for 2027.
Additional concrete repairs will be made on the I-35E Mississippi River bridge in summer and fall 2026 to provide a smoother driving surface and extend the life of the bridge.
Summary of work
2026
- Build temporary embankment to bypass I-35E traffic
- Replace I-35E bridge over Shepard Rd.
- Repair concrete pavement on I-35E from West 7th St. through the Mississippi River bridge
- Repair pavement on Shepard Rd. underneath I-35E bridge following the removal of the temporary embankment
2027
- Removal of crossovers
