A short but busy segment of a north metro highway will close Tuesday morning and have drivers on detour for the rest of July.

At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, Minnesota Department of Transportation crews will close all lanes of Hwy. 65 in both directions between 187th Lane NE. and Viking Boulevard NE between Ham Lake and East Bethel.

The highway will be closed through July 31 as crews work to replace a culvert under Hwy. 65 near Viking Boulevard.

“Drivers who regularly use Hwy 65, are encouraged to use an alternate route if possible, such as I-35W or Hwy 47 to avoid congestion and delays,” the agency said.

During the closure, access to business and residences north of Constance Boulevard to 187th will be maintained, MnDOT said.

The work is part of a larger project in which MnDOT is repaving 16 miles of Hwy. 65 between Spring Lake Park and East Bethel , repairing bridges and installing cable median barriers.

A high-speed crash in St. Paul sets off fireworks inside a car and ignited a fire that killed the driver, police said Monday.

The car left the road shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, struck a tree and a light pole, according to police.

“The vehicle then caught on fire,” a police statement read. “The vehicle contained an amount of fireworks, which began to explode and made it difficult for anyone to help the driver.”

Police said that excessive speed is believed to have played a role in the crash.

The driver’s identity has yet to be released. No one else was in the car.