MnDOT urges Minnesotans to stay safe this Memorial Day holiday

The Minnesota Department of Transportation encourages all motorists who choose to travel during the 2020 Memorial Day holiday weekend to focus on safety when driving through work zones and when interacting with others off the road.

MnDOT data show that traffic volumes have increased sharply in most parts of the state since Gov. Tim Walz’s Stay Safe MN order went into effect May 18. Motorists should plan their routes and expect quickly changing road conditions, slower traffic, narrow lanes, lane shifts, detours and delays as they travel through work zones throughout the state.

Some significant work zones that will require every driver’s full attention May 22–25 include:

Twin Cities

• Highway 5 “Around the Airport” – Eastbound Highway 5 closed between I-494 and Davern Street in St. Paul; detour
• I-35W Downtown to Crosstown – Northbound and southbound lane closures between I-94 and 46th Street; ramp closures
• I-35 Rush City, Harris – Single lane in both directions, ramps closed at NB I-35 and CR 1/Rush Lake Rd

• I-94 Maple Grove to Clearwater – Lane shifts, reduced speed limit, narrow lanes; to exit eastbound I-94 between Maple Grove and Rogers, get into right lane immediately east of Highway 101 in Rogers
• Highway 21 in Jordan – Closed between Mill Street and Sawmill Road; detour
• Highways 169, 41 and 78 near Shakopee – Highway 169 reduced to single lane in each direction southwest of Shakopee until Friday, May 22, afternoon; several ramps closed and detoured

Central Minnesota

• Highway 55 near Barrett – Closed at bridge, detour
• Highways 28, 29, 114 in Starbuck – Southbound Highway 29 closed, detoured; oversized vehicles use truck detour 
• Highway 210 west of Fergus Falls – Closed to through-traffic; follow detour 

Northern Minnesota

• Highway 1 Stony River Bridge west of Isabella – Lanes closed; single-lane, signal-controlled bypass
• Highway 23 Deer Creek Bridge and Highway 23 Nemadji Bridge near Holyoke and Pleasant Valley – Lanes closed; single-lane, signal-controlled bypass
• I-35 Lake Avenue Bridge – Lake Avenue closed; detours 
• Highway 61 Grand Marais – Road closure; detours

Southern Minnesota

• Highway 61 in Lake City – Detour in Lake City
• Highway 63/I-90 interchange near Stewartville – Single lane in each direction, reduced speeds, I-90 eastbound exit detour for northbound Highway 63 to Rochester 
• Highway 57/Highway 60 roundabout – Detour at Wanamingo

• Highway 23 Cottonwood to Granite Falls – Road closed; detour
• Highways 12 & 22 Litchfield – Roads closed; detour
• Highway 15 Hutchinson – Road closed; detour
• Highway 29 Montevideo – Bridge closed; detour
• Highway 40 near Milan – Bridge closed; detour
• I-90 Fairmont to Blue Earth – Single lane traffic, reduced speeds and ramp closures
• Highway 111/22 Nicollet to Gaylord – Detour
• Highway 71 Jackson to Windom – Detour, lanes closed

The changing road conditions in work zones require every driver’s undistracted attention. MnDOT urges motorists to be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.