E-ZPass lanes on I-394 close in both directions through November

CBS News

6 days ago

Both directions of the E-ZPass lanes on I-394 between downtown Minneapolis and Highway 100 closed July 27 until November. During that time, the Minnesota Department of Transportation says its crews will work on repairing bridges and ramps.
Drivers WCCO spoke with, are frustrated with another big interstate closure.
"It's actually terrible for people to commute, really during rush hour," said Jammah Olben, "I use it a lot. Really when [Highway] 169 is packed I use it as a diversion to get over to I-94. I'll be impacted a lot trying to get home."
Usually these major closures happen in the overnight hours when fewer people are on the roads, but not this time. The closure of the E-ZPass lanes in both directions will be enforced at all hours until November.
MnDOT says this is part of a larger two-year plan to repair 34 bridges between Interstates 394 and 94. MnDOT also says there will be some overnight lane closures on the same stretch during the next four months.
MnDOT currently has 46 road construction projects happening in the Twin Cities metro, including this one.
"To get from our house down to St. Paul, I allowed 3.5 hours depending on the time of day," said Jeff Zuckerman jokingly.
Zuckerman lives in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Bryn Mawr, off the Penn Avenue exit in the heart of the closure.
Drivers will certainly have to pack more patience on the roads until the snow flies again.
"You just gotta deal with that, whatever. They're doing it to fix the road for another 5 or 10 years, and they can't do any work in the winter," said Zuckerman.
"There's nothing I can do about it. My patience is tested every day. The heat right now is testing my patience," said Olben.