The fourth try may be the charm for the city of St. Paul, which will again plan to close a segment of Interstate 94 east of downtown this weekend as crews attempt to install horizontal beams for the new Kellogg Boulevard/Third Street Bridge project.

The closure scheduled for this past weekend was scrapped in progress when a contractor’s work crew decided they did not have the proper trailer to set the first 200-foot beam, which kept rolling or leaning against equipment, and they would be unable to safely transfer it between a trailer and crane.

The interstate, which closed in both directions Friday evening, reopened around noon Saturday. Two previous dates for the beam installation were cancelled last month due to weather.

In a statement, St. Paul Public Works said crews with Lunda Construction were “constrained by freeway geometry and site topography. Concerns for safety and beam stability led the contractor to cancel the weekend operation.”

It goes on to say: “The bridge beams to be installed over I-94 are the second-longest prestressed concrete beams to be installed in Minnesota. They are nearly 200 feet long, 8 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and weigh approximately 250,000 pounds. The contractor has acquired specialized trailering equipment to assist with moving the beams into place where they can be safely picked and installed on bridge supports.”

The highway closure will begin at 10 p.m. Friday and run through 5 p.m. Sunday. I-94 will close at U.S. 61 westbound and U.S. 52 eastbound. Drivers can follow posted detours onto Interstate 694 and Interstate 35E. Access to Etna Street, Wilson Avenue and Burns Avenue will be closed.

To access downtown St. Paul from the east metro, take U.S. 61 south to Warner/Shepard Road.

The $91 million bridge replacement project, which began in July 2024, is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2027.

More information is at stpaul.gov/Kellogg-3.

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