Minneapolis — The construction dance involving drivers and orange cones has reached Interstate 94.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has nearly 180 road and bridge construction projects to complete this season, including five bridge repairs on I-94.
“It’s been a little bit difficult to get to work as I’m stationed in St. Paul,” Ellie Rohan told the media.
Rohan is the store director at Seward Community Cooperative. She had to leave home earlier and take a different route to make it to work on time.
“I’m heading south to 62, 35, to get here instead of heading right over on 94,” Rohan told me.
She said the construction hasn’t had an impact on the store because many of its customers live nearby. Furthermore, she stated that more than half of her staff lives within two miles of the co-op.
“We’re close enough, we’re in a really walkable area,” she went on: “At this point, we haven’t seen a lot of traffic impacts to our customers.”
Rohan hasn’t noticed an increase in traffic on Franklin Avenue, but others who work there have.
People who work on the street tell KARE 11 that traffic begins to pick up around 2 p.m. as drivers try to avoid the construction on I-94.
The construction is also affecting Metro Transit’s operations.
“We’ve seen some delays on some trips, especially during those weekday peak periods, so in the mornings or afternoons,” said Metro Transit spokesperson Drew Kerr.
Kerr stated that it provides riders with real-time updates so they can track their bus.
He reported that some buses from Minneapolis to St. Paul were delayed by up to 10-15 minutes. Kerr stated that they have a plan in place in case a bus falls behind schedule.
“We do plan to have extra buses on standby, so if a bus gets that far behind that it can’t make a return trip on schedule, there’s another bus there ready to return, so people are not left waiting,” he informed me.
These construction projects will last several months. Rohan stated that while they haven’t seen significant changes in the area yet, she understands that this could change in the summer when more construction projects begin.