The ramp connecting eastbound Highway 12 to northbound I-494 closed at 7 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, and will stay closed until 7 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) said the closure is needed for drainage repairs, according to a city of Wayzata alert posted Wednesday, Oct. 28. Drivers should take eastbound Highway 12 to northbound Carlson Parkway to northbound I-494 to get around it.

The ramp closure was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, but was pushed back a day.

Traffic shift and single-lane stretch

Also by 5 a.m. Thursday, eastbound Highway 12 traffic between Shoreline Drive (County Road 15) and Central Avenue (County Road 101) shifted back to the eastbound lanes, according to the Wayzata alert.

Both directions of Highway 12 will remain a single lane in that stretch until mid-November so crews can finish median work, the alert said. MnDOT's project page describes the single-lane restriction as running between Shoreline Drive and Gleason Lake Road.

Between Gleason Lake Road and I-494, Highway 12 is reduced to two lanes in both directions through November, according to MnDOT. Expect intermittent overnight closures, too.

More ramp closures ahead

Several ramps remain closed through mid-November, according to MnDOT's project page:

  • Northbound Shoreline Drive (County Road 15) to eastbound Highway 12
  • Eastbound Highway 12 to and from Central Avenue (County Road 101)

On Saturday, Oct. 31, the northbound I-494 to eastbound I-394 ramp will close from 4 to 7 a.m. for guardrail repairs. The detour runs northbound I-494 to westbound Highway 12 to southbound I-494 to eastbound I-394.

All traffic impacts are tentative and weather dependent, MnDOT said.

Project nearing completion

The Highway 12 construction project stretches from Shoreline Drive in Wayzata to I-494 in Minnetonka. Crews began work April 20 and are on track to finish in November, according to the Wayzata alert.

The project includes rebuilding a section of Highway 12 originally constructed in the 1970s, repaving, replacing lighting and repairing up to 20 ramps, according to MnDOT.

Tim Clyne, MnDOT construction engineer, said in an April news release that the work "will give Highway 12 another 20-plus years of life."

For real-time traffic updates, MnDOT directs drivers to 511mn.org. Questions about the project can go to Nathan Bowie, MnDOT communications.