Weather postpones I-90 ramp closures; Work to include repaving in Austin, AL

Published 10:08 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Rainy weather is expected to delay Interstate 90 ramp closures in Austin and Albert Lea as crews repave several entrance and exit ramps, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Work is expected to be delayed until Thursday for the southbound Interstate 35 ramp from westbound I-90 will be closed and detoured, while crews repave the roadway at Albert Lea. The detour is westbound I-90 to Freeborn County Road 22, cross over to eastbound I-90 and exit to southbound I-35. This work was originally scheduled to begin May 9.

Later that day, the westbound I-90 exit to Highway 13 west of Albert Lea will be closed and detoured. Motorists seeking to exit onto Highway 13 from westbound I-90 should exit at Freeborn County Road 22, travel north to Freeborn County Road 14 west and it intersects with Highway 13.

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The westbound I-90 exit ramp for Freeborn County Road 22 will be closed for repaving either late this week or early next week. Motorists can detour by continuing west to the Highway 13 exit, crossing I-90 and returning on eastbound I-90 to the Highway 13 exit.

All of the work will be done on schedule, weather permitting.

Next week, crews will move to Austin to repave two I-90 entrance ramps. The westbound I-90 entrance ramp at the east junction of Highway 218 on the east side of Austin will be closed during the work. The detour for vehicles wanting to enter westbound I-90 from Highway 218 is to enter eastbound I-90 to exit 181 at 28th Street, cross the highway and enter westbound I-90.

Also in Austin, crews will close the eastbound I-90 entrance ramp at Oakland Place. Motorists will detour via Oakland Avenue east to Highway 218 north to I-90 eastbound.

The work is expected to take two to four days, but it’s possible the ramps will open in between the milling and paving work.

MnDOT urges motorists to be attentive, drive with caution, slow down in work zones and never enter a road blocked with barriers or cones.

For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store.