• Pleasant Street will close this weekend between Pillsbury Drive and Arlington Street to allow for the extension of a storm sewer associated with the Northrop renovation. The work will require both sidewalk and street closures and will begin this evening (Friday) at 6:00 p.m. The street and sidewalk will be open by Monday, August 13.
• On Monday, August 13, a short section of the Scholars Walk between Union Street and the Mechanical Engineering entrance will close for work related to the new Physics Nanotechnology Building. The section of Scholars Walk will open again on Friday, August 31.
• Beacon Street will close between Harvard and Walnut Streets on Wednesday, August 15 as crews remove the two tower cranes in place at the Rec Center Expansion construction site. Beacon Street will open again on Friday, August 24. Pedestrians on the Scholars Walk will periodically be asked to wait or use other routes when material is lifted over the Scholars Walk.
• The Washington Avenue Bridge will be closed to all vehicle traffic from Monday, August 20 through Sunday, August 26 as crews work 24/7 to install the rails for the Central Corridor LRT line. The pedestrian level of the Bridge will remain open.
• A variety of sidewalk closures will affect pedestrians, particularly on the south side of Washington Avenue in front of Coffman Union, Hasselmo Hall, and Weaver Densford Hall. The Central Corridor Project Office has made sidewalk reconstruction a top priority with the goal of having as many sidewalks as possible open for the start of fall semester.

Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation during these closures.

With East River Parkway closed, traveling north and south across campus will be a challenge. Central Corridor crews hope to have the intersection of Harvard Street and Washington Avenue open by the end of the week, which may help ease some congestion. A detailed detour map (PDF) is available at the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit website.

The closure will also affect both campus and MTC bus routes and stops. Please be attentive to rider alerts posted at stops and on buses and visit the Metro Transit website.

Thanks for your continued patience.

The closure will occur under the Washington Avenue Bridge. Traffic traveling east-bound across the Washington Avenue Bridge will still exit around the Weisman, but will not be allowed to go north on East River Parkway. There will continue to be access to the Weisman Parking Garage and the STSS loading dock area.

With East River Parkway closed, and with work continuing at the intersections of Harvard Street and Washington Avenue, and Huron Boulevard and Washington Avenue, traveling north and south across campus will be a challenge. Drivers should expect delays and allow for additional travel times.

Please go the Central Corridor website for complete information related to the closure including bus detours.

As I retire from service as the Vice President of University Services, this will be my last campus-wide e-mail regarding construction updates and road closures. Future e-mails regarding Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line construction and road closures will arrive from Bob Baker, Executive Director of Parking and Transportation Services. Be sure to look for those messages.

The vehicle level of the Washington Avenue Bridge will be closed in both directions from 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 8 until 5:00 a.m. on Monday, June 11. The Bridge will also be closed from Friday, June 15 to Monday, June 18. Construction activities are expected during both day and night time hours.

During the closure, the bus stops at Blegen and Willey Halls will be closed and transit users will be directed to the 19th Avenue/Washington Avenue bus stop near Mondale Hall. The south side of the pedestrian and bicycle level of the Washington Avenue Bridge will remain open during the work.

After the bridge work is complete, the University community will see some noteworthy changes on the West Bank and across the River. By mid-June, traffic will shift on the West Bank and a single lane in each direction will be open on the Washington Avenue Bridge. Also by mid-June, the north side of the pedestrian and bicycle level of the Washington Avenue Bridge will re-open and the ramp from northbound I-35W to Washington Avenue will re-open to traffic.

For complete information on the project and to sign up for weekly updates, visit the Central Corridor website.

Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes if possible. Whether driving, walking, or biking in the area, please use caution.

I appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

First, the southbound lane of East River Parkway will close under the Washington Avenue Bridge for construction of a storm sewer line. During the southbound closure, the pedestrian and bicycle path on the west side of the Parkway will also close. While the northbound lane will remain open for now, East River Parkway will close completely in mid-July and all traffic will be detoured. We will send additional information on the full-closure as the date approaches.

On the east side of campus, Huron Boulevard and the Washington Avenue Triangle will also close to traffic on Monday, May 14. That busy area will remain closed until late August and detour routes will be posted.

The map below shows the affected areas of campus. For complete information and for weekly updates on the construction progress, visit the Central Corridor website.

Thank you for your continued patience during construction.

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Huron Boulevard Ramp from westbound I-94

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced this week that the ramp from westbound I-94 to Huron Boulevard will close from Sunday, April 22 until Wednesday, May 2. Motorists who travel westbound on Interstate 94 from St. Paul and access the University of Minnesota via Huron Boulevard should expect significant delays.

Signs will be posted indicating the official project detour. People familiar with the area should explore alternate routes if possible. The official detour will direct motorists to do the following:

1. Continue westbound on I-94 past the Huron Boulevard exit
2. Exit at Riverside Avenue
3. Go south on Riverside
4. Go east I-94 east
5. Exit at Huron Boulevard

The work is part of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's on-going freeway improvement project between downtowns Minneapolis and St. Paul. For more project information, visit the Minnesota Department of Transportation website.

17th Avenue between University Avenue and 4th Street

17th Avenue between University Avenue and 4th Street will close from Monday, April 23 until Thursday, April 26. The closure is necessary as crews install a tower crane for the construction of the Fourth Street Housing and Dining Facility. Oak Street is the official detour during the closure of 17th Avenue.

Thank you for your continued patience and for driving safely in all construction areas.

During the ramp closure, the official detour will direct motorists to:

• continue eastbound on I-94
  exit on Cretin Avenue/Vandalia Street
  access westbound I-94
  exit on Huron Boulevard

In addition to the official detour route, drivers may want to consider other detour possibilities including:

• north on I-35W
  exit on University Avenue

• east on I-94
  north on Highway 280
  exit on University Avenue

• through downtown Minneapolis
  east on 4th Street across the Washington Avenue Bridge

The ramp closure is needed for noise wall installation that is part of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's on-going freeway improvement project between downtowns Minneapolis and St. Paul. For more project information, visit the Minnesota Department of Transportation website.

The Washington Avenue Bridge will close to vehicle traffic on Friday night as Central Corridor Light Rail Transit crews make the changes needed to move vehicle traffic from the north side of the bridge to the south side. The Bridge will close to vehicle traffic on Friday, November 18 at 10:00 p.m. and will reopen on Monday, November 21 at 5:00 a.m. Detours will be posted and motorists on campus this weekend are urged to plan ahead.

Once the work is complete, traffic will travel on the south side of the bridge and work will begin on the north side. Traffic will remain one-lane in each direction, and West Bank bus stops by Blegen and Willey Halls will be relocated to accommodate the change.

The pedestrian level of the Bridge will remain open during the vehicle-level closure this weekend. After the switch is complete on the vehicle level, pedestrian access will likewise switch from the north side of the pedestrian level to the south side. Please visit the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit website for complete information.

In addition to the Bridge closure, two projects on Pleasant Street are also expected to cause delays.

On Saturday, CCLRT crews will begin the installation of temporary traffic signal poles at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Pillsbury Avenue. All streets will remain open, but congestion and some sidewalk detours are expected. The new traffic signal is expected to be operational in late December or early January.

Also on Saturday, CenterPoint Energy will install a natural gas line for temporary heating of Northrop. The work will take place just north of the intersection of Pleasant and Arlington Streets and should be complete by the end of the day on Saturday. Once again, the street will remain open but congestion is expected.

Thank you for your patience during the on-going construction.

The closure is scheduled to last from Monday, October 31 to Tuesday, November 9. Crews will be working 12 hour days on the project - from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. - to ensure timely completion of the work.

Access to the Washington Avenue Parking Ramp will not be affected by the closure.

On Friday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m., the east bound lane of the Washington Avenue Bridge will close to accommodate work near the Weisman Art Museum. Traffic traveling east on Washington Avenue from downtown will exit at Cedar Avenue, and traffic and buses will be detoured to University Avenue. The east bound lane will reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, October 10.

On Friday, October 14, both lanes of traffic on the Washington Avenue Bridge will close. Traffic and buses will be detoured to University Avenue. Both lanes of traffic will reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, October 17.

The work will not affect the pedestrian level of the Washington Avenue Bridge. The pedestrian level will remain open to bike and pedestrian traffic. While scheduling the closures for the weekend will help minimize the impact on the University community, drivers should expect delays and plan accordingly.

For complete information on the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project and to sign up for weekly e-mail construction updates, visit the Central Corridor website.

• North sidewalk from Harvard to Oak closed on May 16th, use south sidewalk or Scholars Walk.


• Crosswalks on the north and west side of the intersection of Washington and Walnut closed on May 16th, use alternate crosswalk.


• Crosswalk on the west side of the intersection of Washington and Oak closed on May 16th, use alternate crosswalk.