What is this project?

The reconstruction of the Lyndale Avenue Bridge over I-494 is the latest in ongoing improvements planned by Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) along the I-494 corridor. The project is a joint effort between the City of Bloomington, City of Richfield and MnDOT, with Richfield as the lead agency.

Project improvements include replacing the existing Lyndale Avenue Bridge with a new single-point diamond interchange that will accommodate future widening of I-494. The new bridge will be similar in design to the Penn Avenue Bridge. The project will also include removal of portions of the I-494 south frontage road (West 78th Street) to accommodate new exit/entrance ramps. The work is being completed in order to provide additional traffic capacity and safety improvements needed along Lyndale Avenue and I-494.

Project schedule

Access and traffic during construction

Lyndale Avenue will be open for the remainder of 2008 for commercial/shopping use, but some interchange work will be done on either side of Lyndale Avenue this fall.

Traffic along I-494 will be maintained throughout the majority of the project. Occasional weekend closures of the interstate will occur in order to safely construct portions of the bridge that extend over I-494. Periodic ramp closures are also expected. The proposed detour routes for these ramp closures will utilize Nicollet Avenue, Penn Avenue, American Boulevard, and 76th Street.

The interchange will then be closed in its entirety January 2, 2009. The scheduled reopening of the new interchange is to be prior to Thanksgiving 2009.

Ramp and road closures (subject to change by contractor)

Click here for detour map.

Ramp closures now in effect

• The exit and entrance ramps on the south side of the Lyndale/494 interchange will remain closed until November 2008. For details, see this Stage 1 detour map (410KB PDF).
• The Southeast Lyndale entrance ramp to eastbound I-494 will remain closed until November 2009.
• The Southwest Lyndale exit ramp will remain closed until November 13. It will close again on January 2, 2009, and remain closed until November 2009.

January 2 - 5, 2009

• I-494 will be detoured starting January 2 at 10 p.m. through January 5 at 5 a.m., to remove the old Lyndale Avenue Bridge.
• The Northwest Nicollet Avenue entrance ramp to I-494 will be closed starting January 2 at 10 p.m. through January 5 at 5 a.m.

January 2, 2009, through end of project

• The Northwest Lyndale entrance ramp to westbound I-494 and Northeast Lyndale exit ramp from westbound I-494 will close January 2, 2009, and remain closed until November 2009.

Construction to begin in October 2008

The Richfield City Council last week awarded the contract to Lunda Construction of Black River Falls, Wisconsin to build the new Lyndale Avenue Bridge over I-494. Construction will begin in October 2008. However, the existing bridge will not be torn down until early January 2009. Completion of the new bridge is expected to occur in November 2009.

Lyndale bridge sketches: The sketches at right show several aesthetic features of the new bridge, such as pedestrian lights on the bridge; plan view of shrubs and sidewalks on the north side islands, side view of a railing placed along the sidewalks on the bridge, and a plan view of the landscaping to be placed in all four corners of the new bridge.

The proposed design will allow for flexibility that will permit several design options that will provide access at Lyndale Avenue when I-494 is completely rebuilt. The present access to and from Lyndale will remain at the completion of this project.

• Click here to download larger versions of these bridge sketches in a four-page PDF file.

Project funding

The majority of the project is being funding through federal assistance with contributions from MnDOT and the Cities of Richfield and Bloomington.