Watch Out Motorists: Major Interstate 35E Closures Start May 3

South metro motorists are in for a headache during road construction season this year.

Major road improvements will close southbound Interstate 35E between Couty Road 42 and the 35E/35W interchange in Burnsville starting May 3, according to a news release issued by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Crews will be installing a new deck on a bridge near the interchange.

Southbound I-35E will be open again on June 2, but until then motorists will have to detour to westbound Interstate 494, then onto southbound Interstate 35W to bypass the road closures, according to MnDOT officials.

To make things more complicated, northbound I-35W will close between the 35W/35E split and County Road 42 at 10 p.m. May, 3 and reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, May 6. A signed detour will direct motorists to northbound I-35E, MnDOT officials say.

Finally, southbound I-35W will close between County Road 42 and the 35W/35E split at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 4 and reopen by 7 a.m. Sunday, May 5 as crews remove the deck for the I-35E Bridge spanning the roadway.

The detour will direct motorists to I-35 using Buck Hill Road and Crystal Lake Road.

The interchange bridge repairs are part of a larger, $20 million project that is expected to cause significant backups and delays on Interstate 35E this summer.

Roughly 17 miles of Interstate 35 are likely to be impacted by lengthy repairs as MnDOT conducts extensive projects on a handful of bridges on I-35, plus pavement resurfacing along the road.

What route will you be using to get around the interstate construction? Share your detour tips with local readers on Patch!