MNDOT Aims To Solve Backup Issues On I-35 Near Barnum

Ask anyone who regularly travels I-35 between the Twin Ports and the Twin Cities: traffic can get pretty heavy in some places; this is especially true during the peak drive times on weekends - when you often see metro drivers heading north on Friday nights or Saturday mornings; and then heading southward toward home on Sunday afternoon or evening.

Summer road construction doesn't help, either. This is especially true this summer with the project on I-35 near Barnum.

That particular project has caused excessively long backups of traffic the past few weekends. To combat the issue and find a solution for the project that doesn't end until mid-October, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is trying a different tactic.

Effective immediately, the I-35 southbound on-ramp at Barnum will be closed during a large part of the weekend hours. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, this closure will occur every weekend - starting at 6:00 PM on Saturday and lasting until 7:00 AM on Monday.

Officials with MNDOT hope that the weekend closure will eliminate some of those extremely-large backups that have been occuring on I-35 in that area - especially during the weekends when there are larger traffic volumes using the interstate.

Road construction crews will continue their work on that stretch of I-35 near Barnum until completion in October. The $9.9 million project will provide a smoother road surface when complete and also provide a variety of safety features for drivers. During the work, MNDOT crews will remove the existing unbonded concrete material and install a new unbonded concrete overlay.