Highway work that local newspapers have dubbed “Carmageddon” on Hwy. 169 in Minnesota has caused severe traffic slowdowns at multiple Minnesota River crossings and will continue until Aug. 23, state officials said.
Traffic is down to a single lane in both directions as work is done on the highway and on the Bloomington Ferry Bridge from Bloomington to Shakopee, according to a Star Tribune report.
A shift of traffic to the south side from the north was expected to be in place the middle of this week.
As part of that shift, the following ramps to and from northbound 169 are to close:
- Pioneer Trail
- Old Shakopee Road
- Highway 101
- County Road 21
Maximum speeds are reduced to 50 mph in the construction zone.
Highway officials also announced two weekend closures of Hwy. I-35W between Hwy. 13 and the 35W/35E split are coming up, one for each direction of the road.
The first is tentatively scheduled to begin on Friday Aug. 9.
Work on the section of I-35 between Elko New Market and the Burnsville split is under way, and drivers can expect off-peak lane closures as crews build crossovers and prepare for traffic switches.
A major switch is likely to start around Aug. 26, officials say, with traffic reduced to a single lane north of Hwy. 50 on weekends before Aug. 26.
For the latest information, go to www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/169bloomington/.
