I-94 Drivers Face 24/7 Head-to-Head Traffic Between Sauk Centre and Melrose Starting Tuesday

(KNSI) – Drivers on Interstate 94 between Sauk Centre and Melrose should brace for major delays starting the day after Memorial Day.

On Tuesday, May 26th, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is shifting traffic into single-lane, head-to-head configurations 24 hours a day at four bridges over the Sauk River. The work zones are located east of Highway 71 in Sauk Centre and east of Highway 13 near Melrose.

Speeds through the work zones will be reduced to 60 miles per hour. MnDOT is asking drivers to use the zipper merge and stay in both lanes until reaching the merge point.

Crews will be repairing the eastbound bridge decks this season, installing a new concrete wearing course along with new approach panels, concrete joints, catch basins, and guardrail. Drivers should also watch for lane shifts, limited shoulders, and real-time traffic displays as multiple crews work along the corridor.

The head-to-head setup will remain in place through late October, when both directions of I-94 will reopen to two lanes for the winter. Crews will return in 2027 to remove and rebuild the two westbound bridges.

The work officially began in mid-April with the installation of temporary median crossovers, but Tuesday’s shift marks the first major traffic impact for summer travelers on the busy east-west corridor.

Redstone Construction is the prime contractor on the $10.3 million project. MnDOT says when the work wraps up in fall 2027, drivers can expect smoother bridge surfaces, lower long-term maintenance costs, and improved freight movement along I-94.

Real-time traffic and road conditions are available at 511mn.org.

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