Demolition of Kellogg Boulevard bridge will close I-94 in both directions between I-35E, U.S. 61 this weekend

Just east of downtown St. Paul, the Kellogg Boulevard bridge over Third Street will be demolished this weekend, closing Interstate 94 in both directions between Interstate 35E and U.S. 61 from late Friday night until Monday morning, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The $91 million bridge replacement project, long-awaited by city officials, is expected to take another two-and-a-half years.

Westbound I-94 traffic will be able to exit at U.S. 61/Mounds Boulevard. Eastbound I-94 drivers will be able to exit the interstate at Seventh Street and U.S. 52/Lafayette Freeway. Mounds Boulevard local traffic will be able to enter both eastbound and westbound I-94.

The interstate will close at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

MnDOT is alerting residents and businesses that the area will “experience significant construction noise around the clock, including jack hammering and trucks hauling debris.”

The bridge, a major connection point between downtown St. Paul and the East Side, closed at the end of July. Demolition will allow for the construction of a new foundation and substructure to be installed by the end of 2025. Beams and decks, followed by railings and lighting, will be added into 2027, when the new bridge is scheduled to come online by that summer, according to city officials.

The city-owned bridge was built in 1982 by MnDOT and carried about 10,000 cars daily at the time lane and capacity restrictions were imposed in 2014, when city engineers determined that its badly cracked cantilevers, or wing-like bridge supports, required costly repair or full replacement. Securing funding for a bridge replacement — $80 million in state bonds, $7 million in federal funds and $4 million in local dollars — has taken the city a full decade.

During the I-94 closure, eastbound traffic on I-94 can follow signed detours north onto I-35E, east on Interstate 694 and then over to the I-94 and Interstate 494/694 interchange in Woodbury. Westbound traffic can head north to I-694, east on I-694 and south on I-35E to westbound I-94.

For more information, visit the city’s bridge replacement website at stpaul.gov/kellogg-3. MnDOT offers traffic and travel information at 511mn.org or get the free smartphone app.

Related Articles