Expect traffic headaches Saturday with protest, sports, music, I-94 closure
Cue the traffic nightmares between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, and the new public transit services rolling up to meet them.
In light of protests, sporting events, concerts and Interstate 94 closing in both directions between Huron Boulevard and Interstate 35W this weekend, Metro Transit is bracing for a key test of its latest bus offerings: the B Line from Uptown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul, which debuts at 4 a.m. Saturday, and the Route 94 bus, which is launching new weekend service with departures every half hour.
In addition, the Gold Line from Woodbury to downtown St. Paul debuted in March.
The interstate closure won't be the only event disrupting weekend traffic. There are 'No Kings' protests planned across the country against the Trump administration, including an 11 a.m. rally at St. Paul College that will lead into a noon march to the State Capitol. As many as 20,000 protesters are expected to attend.
On Saturday evening, Minnesota United plays San Diego FC at 7:30 p.m. at Allianz Field in St. Paul, and Grammy-winning Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd performs at 7 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. In addition, the two-day Stone Arch Bridge Festival opens Saturday in Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Lynx take on the Los Angeles Sparks at noon Saturday at Target Center.
In anticipation of heightened passenger demand, Metro Transit will run three-car trains along the Green Line on Saturday and maintain extra operators, TRIP agents and other greeters at high-traffic station platforms along University Avenue, including the Capitol/Rice Street station. 'We know we're going to have larger than usual crowds,' said Metro Transit spokesman Drew Kerr. 'All hands on deck.'
All I-94 entrance and exit ramps between I-35W and Huron Boulevard were scheduled to close beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, with both directions of I-94 closing for bridge work along eastbound I-94 beginning at 10 p.m. The interstate is expected to reopen by late Sunday night, but six ramps will remain closed through mid-August, including I-35W northbound to eastbound I-94, Huron Boulevard to eastbound I-94 and eastbound I-94 to Huron Boulevard.
A $16 million project to repair five I-94 bridges in Minneapolis began in October 2024 and is expected to wrap up by October of this year. More information is online at tinyurl.com/I942025.
The B Line, Metro Transit's seventh bus rapid transit service, will operate from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m., with free rides from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday courtesy of Midtown Global Market. Community celebrations featuring free cookies, a kids art table and Skip Traffic, the Metro Transit mascot, are planned from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the downtown St. Paul Union Depot and the Lake and Chicago station in Minneapolis.
Schedules for the B Line — which replaces the longstanding Route 21 — and new weekend service on the Route 94 are online at MetroTransit.org.
I-94 closing this weekend near Minneapolis-St. Paul boundary
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