A temporary closure will have big consequences for some drivers this upcoming weekend.  Officials with the Minnesota Department of Transportation are alerting Twin Ports drivers about the closure of the southbound lanes of Garfield Avenue - November 11 through November 14.

The closure will mean that Superior-bound traffic will have no access to the Blatnik Bridge.

According to the details being shared by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the closure will start just south of Nelson Street and will continue all of the way to where Garfield Avenue meets the Blatnik Bridge.

The closure will start on Friday evening, November 11 at 8:00 PM.  Those southbound lanes will remain closed until the work is finished; MNDOT is anticipating that the lanes will be reopen by 4:00 AM on Monday, November 14.

While the lanes are closed, MNDOT will work to perform demolition on the I-535 bridges passing over Garfield Avenue - including removal of bridge decks, bridge girders, and bridge piers closes to Garfield Avenue.  This work is part of the Twin Ports Interchange project that was approved this past summer, thanks in part to special funding.  It was originally part of the Twin Ports Interchange project but had been deferred due to a funding gap in 2020.

The closure will accelerate the completion of the demolition by two weeks.  That acceleration will create the possibility for the I-535/Garfield Avenue interchange to reopen earlier in the fall of 2023.

MNDOT maintains an up to date project page for the Twin Ports Interchange.  You can check it out on their website.

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