3rd Ave./Central Ave. bridge detour and construction
Starting Monday, May 18, MnDOT will begin work on the 3rd Ave./Central Ave. bridge that spans the Mississippi River between downtown Minneapolis and NE/SE Minneapolis. Initially, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction. In January 2021, the bridge will close completely for two years. This will affect routes 10, 17, 25, 59*, 250, 261*, 263*, 264, 270, 288* and 825*.
In this first phase, general traffic on the bridge will be reduced to a single lane each way, with the middle lane dedicated to transit vehicles. In the morning, buses entering downtown will use the lane; in the afternoon and evening, buses leaving downtown will use the lane. The City of Minneapolis will also be implementing transit advantages on both sides of the bridge to provide transit customers with quicker and more reliable travel time to/from the downtown core.
Get details about the bridge reconstruction project at MnDOT’s website.
*These routes are currently not operating during reduced service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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What does this mean for me?
If you are traveling between downtown Minneapolis and NE/SE Minneapolis via I-35W, 3rd/Central or Hennepin Avenues, you may notice increased traffic and travel time.
- Express routes
- Buses entering downtown on routes 250, 263*, 264 and 288* will be detoured to 4th St. SE and will take 3rd Ave./Central Ave. to 1st St. and turn onto Marquette, taking advantage of the transit priority lanes, signal priority, and traffic control agents.
- Express buses leaving downtown will not be affected at this time.
- Routes 10 and 59
- To take advantage of signal priority and traffic control agents, routes 10 and 59* will be detoured between Nicollet Mall and the 3rd Ave./Central Ave. bridge. Buses leaving downtown will take Washington to Marquette Ave. to 1st St. to the 3rd Ave./Central Ave. bridge. Buses entering downtown, will take 1st St. to 2nd Ave. S to Washington to Nicollet Mall.
- Temporary change in Downtown Zone boundary
- Entering downtown on southbound Central, Stop #46801 between 4th St. SE and University will become the temporary first stop of the Downtown Zone.
- Leaving downtown, Stop #14953 on northbound Central at 4th St. SE will be the end of the Downtown Zone for local and limited buses and Stop #16126 on eastbound University at 2nd Ave. SE will be the end of the Downtown Zone for express buses.
Transit questions?
If you have further questions, please call 612-373-3333, to speak with a transit expert.