MINNEAPOLIS — The upside is easy to see: Two Taylor Swift shows and a weekend of Pride Festival activities will draw a predicted 500,000 people into Minneapolis, bringing plenty of activity and dollars that are sorely needed by downtown businesses.
The downside? If you're not going, getting to your own activities could be a bit more challenging.
City leaders are implementing a number of closures in Minneapolis to ensure the safety of folks attending those two events and a stack of others, from smaller concerts to conventions and Broadway shows.
- Ninth Street between Hennepin and Hawthorne Avenues will be closed for the Pride Block Party at the Saloon From 9 a.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday.
- From 7 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m. Sunday, Hennepin Avenue is closed from Washington Avenue to 16th Street for the Rainbow Run 5K My Way and the Twin Cities LGBTQ+ Pride March.
The Taylor Swift shows, which will bring 120,000 people to U.S. Bank Stadium Friday and Saturday nights, are triggering their own closures.
- Chicago Avenue between Fourth and Sixth Streets is closed from 11 a.m. until an hour after the concert ends both Friday and Saturday.
- Fourth Street is closed between Park Avenue and Norm McGrew Place from 2:30 p.m. until an hour after the concerts end.
And this weekend... along with every other weekend this summer... Warehouse District Live will trigger the closure of one block on First Avenue, between Fifth Street and Sixth Street, to motor vehicles beginning at 9 a.m. each Friday. The aim is to create a zone for people to walk around, patronize food trucks and establishments and enjoy summer.
The block reopens to traffic by Sunday morning.
A bit further south a major road construction project could throw a wrench in your plans, or at least slow them down.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn-DOT) says southbound lanes of the interstate from I-494 to I-35E will be shut down from 10 p.m. Friday, June 23 to 5 a.m. Monday, June 26. That's not all - all southbound ramps between 82nd Street and I-35E, and the northbound I-35W E-ZPass lane will all be closed to traffic as well.
MnDOT says motorists will be detoured via I-494 to Hwy 77 to I-35E.
Work crews are resurfacing I-35W and improving ramps, sidewalks, and signals at several intersections.
After this weekend there will be two more closures on the same stretch of interstate.
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