Vernon Avenue & Highway 100 Interchange Project

The northbound Minnesota Highway 100 on-ramp at West 50th Street is scheduled to close Monday, July 28, as the Vernon Avenue & Highway 100 Interchange project moves into Stage 3A of construction. The closure is expected to last until late fall.

Entering Stage 3 marks the start of the most disruptive portion of the project for residents and businesses, but it is also the phase where the most visible infrastructure improvements will take shape. Foundational work completed so far includes bridge demolition, underground utility installation, new bridge foundations and intersection reconstruction. Between July 28 and the project’s completion in November, drivers should expect varying closures of Highway 100 on- and off-ramps at Vernon and West 50th, along with longer detours, as crews complete bridge work, build new ramp tie-ins, install new traffic signals and construct a new noise wall along the northbound on-ramp to Highway 100.

Stage 3A of construction will be divided into two parts, lasting until late fall:

• Stage 3A - Part 1 (begins July 28)—the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp at West 50th closes. This closure allows for construction of a new 20-foot-high, approximately 1,000-foot-long noise wall along the northbound lanes to reduce traffic noise for nearby Sunnyslope neighborhood residents. All other project closures remain in place, including no thru traffic on Vernon within the construction zone and continued work at the Vernon and Interlachen Boulevard intersection.
• Stage 3A - Part 2 (future stage; expected to begin late summer)—the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp remains closed, and the southbound Highway 100 exit ramp to Vernon/West 50th also closes. All other project road closures remain in place.

While the closure is in place, drivers needing to go north on Highway 100 in this area should take southbound Highway 100 from Eden Avenue, then use eastbound Highway 62 to return to northbound Highway 100. Local tra­ffic may use frontage roads and the northbound on-ramp at Benton Avenue. The interactive detour map and image versions of the Stage 3A maps, along with much more info about the project, are available at this site.

UPDATED RAMP CLOSURE DATE: The date for the closure of northbound Highway 100 on-ramp from 50th Street has changed to July 28 until late fall. With a closure of the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp will come construction of the noise wall. One detour will be southbound Highway 100 from Eden Avenue to eastbound Highway 62 to northbound Highway 100. The local detour will utilize the frontage roads and the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp at Benton Avenue. Maps are available on this site.

Thanks for your patience as the project continues.

Remember businesses are open and accessible. Please be patient when walking, biking, or driving in the area.

Underground utility work continues in the intersection of Interlachen Blvd and Vernon Avenue. The intersection will be open to traffic, but traffic will be shifted to the south side next week. Be patient in this intersection. The Edina Grandview Liquor store will open Monday / Tuesday next week with new sidewalks and concrete entrance.

The northbound Highway 100 on-ramp is scheduled to close on July 21 until late fall. With a closure of the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp will come construction of the noise wall. One detour will be southbound Highway 100 from Eden Avenue to eastbound Highway 62 to northbound Highway 100. The local detour will utilize the frontage roads and the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp at Benton Avenue. Maps are available on this site.

Thanks for your patience as the project continues.

Remember businesses are open and accessible. Please be patient when walking, biking, or driving in the area. With construction comes noise, dust, traffic congestion and other construction related issues.

Underground utility work continues in the intersection of Interlachen Blvd and Vernon Avenue. The intersection will be open to traffic, but traffic will be shifted and adjusted back and forth based on the working area. Be patient in this intersection. The Edina Grandview Liquor store will soon have new sidewalks and concrete entrance. The store is scheduled to re-open July 14.

Discussions about closing Highway 100 on and off ramps for construction have started. The east side and west side may have different schedules. The tentative plan is to close northbound Highway 100 on-ramp on July 21 until late fall. With a closure of the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp will come construction of the noise wall. One detour will be southbound Highway 100 from Eden Avenue to eastbound Highway 62 to northbound Highway 100. The local detour will utilize the frontage roads and the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp at Benton Avenue. More information and maps coming soon when this work is confirmed.

Thanks for your patience as the project continues.

Remember businesses are open and accessible. Please be patient when walking, biking, or driving in the area. There are no changes planned to traffic management in the short term. With construction comes noise, dust, traffic congestion and other construction related issues. Thanks for your patience as the project continues.

Underground utility work will be occurring in the intersection of Interlachen Blvd and Vernon Avenue. The intersection will be open to traffic, but traffic will be shifted and adjusted back and forth based on the working area. Be patient in this intersection. The Edina Grandview Liquor store will soon have new sidewalks and concrete entrance. Starting Monday, June 30, the contractor will begin removals in preparation for new concrete.

An Xcel Energy power line is in a different location than expected within the CPKC Railroad right-of-way. The power line needs to be relocated before the foundation for the west side of the Vernon Avenue Bridge can be built. The current agreements between the parties are outdated and neither party will work until the necessary agreements and permits are secured. If this is not completed in the next few weeks, it could have major impacts to the project schedule.

Discussions about closing Highway 100 on and off ramps for construction have started. The east side and west side may have different schedules. The contractor is developing a plan now for consideration. One or more ramps could close as soon as mid-July. With a closure of the northbound Highway 100 on-ramp will come construction of the noise wall.

There are people walking and biking in the crosswalks. State law requires drivers to yield to those individuals. Safety is a priority for all involved. Please be patient. There are no changes planned to traffic management in the short term. There will be night work on Highway 100. Remember businesses are open and accessible. With construction comes noise, dust, traffic congestion and other construction related issues. Thanks for your patience as the project continues full speed ahead.

The contractor continues piling driving steel supports for the new Highway 100 bridge this week. The piling on the west side of Highway 100 should be completed this week. The piling on the east side of Highway 100 should be completed by the end of next week. Steel piling was drilled into the ground adjacent to Davanni’s Pizza. These will provide space for the contractor to work and protect their property. Crushing / recycling old street pavement continues as you can see the material piles grow. Construction of the retaining walls along the north side of Vernon Ave adjacent to Hawthrone Court continues. The contractor has placed sensors and cooling equipment, linked to their computers, to track the temperature and curing of the concrete in the Highway 100 median. This will ensure it meets the project requirements.

There are people walking and biking in the crosswalks. State law requires drivers to yield to those individuals. Safety is a priority for all involved. Please be patient. There are no changes planned to traffic management in the short term. There will be occasionally night work on Highway 100.

Remember businesses are open and accessible. With construction comes noise, dust, traffic congestion and other construction related issues. Thanks for your patience as the project continues full speed ahead.

The contractor continues piling driving steel supports for the new Highway 100 bridge this week. This work will be noisy and conducted during normal working hours. They also started crushing / recycling old street pavement to use on the project. Better to recycle onsite than to haul the material offsite and haul in new material. This will also be noisy. Retaining wall along the north side of Vernon Ave adjacent to Hawthrone Court are also being constructed.

Remember businesses are open and accessible. With construction comes noise, dust, traffic congestion and other construction related issues. Thanks for your patience as the project continues full speed ahead.

The contractor started piling driving steel supports for the new Highway 100 bridge this week. This work will be noisy and conducted during normal working hours. They also started crushing / recycling old street pavement to use on the project. Better to recycle onsite than to haul the material offsite and haul in new material. This will also be noisy.

Traffic has increased along Eden Avenue due to the detour route. It does get congested. Please allow extra time to get to your appointments. Please note that during morning and afternoon school pick-up times, Eden Avenue gets very busy. Alternate routes may be another option during those peak times. Also be considerate of your fellow drivers trying to enter Eden Avenue but more importantly pedestrians. There are people walking and biking in the crosswalks. State law requires drivers to yield to those individuals. Safety is a priority for all involved. Please be patient.

There have been some changes to traffic management on Highway 100 without the city knowing. We are working with our project partners to ensure the information we provide is accurate. The weekend closure detour route was adjusted from Excelsior Blvd to Highway 394. And short-term lane closures occurred Tuesday morning. A MnDOT functional group made the decision without consulting the project team. We are working with our MnDOT representatives to better understand what is occurring.

Thanks for the continued patience. Remember businesses are open and accessible.

On Tuesday, May 27, the contractor intends to start piling driving steel supports for the new Highway 100 bridge. This work will be loud and conducted during normal working hours. The remainder of this week will include excavation work for retaining walls and bridge supports. Next week installation of watermain, storm sewer, and sanitary sewer pipes will start.

Eden Avenue Traffic: Traffic has increased along Eden Avenue due to the detour route. It does get congested. Please allow extra time to get to your appointments. Please note that during morning and afternoon school pick-up times, Eden Avenue gets very busy. Alternate routes may be another option during those peak times. Also be considerate of your fellow drivers trying to enter Eden Avenue but more importantly pedestrians. There are people walking and biking in the crosswalks. State law requires drivers to yield to those individuals. Safety is a priority for all involved. Please be patient.

Thanks, Chad Millner, City Engineer.

Highway 100 opened early Monday morning as scheduled. The bridge was successfully removed. Ames Construction continues with full speed construction operations. Thanks