Why are there piles of concrete piled up in the southwest cloverleaf of the Interstate 494 and Highway 212 interchange in Eden Prairie? It has to do with a Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) project that’s taking place outside the city.
As MnDOT crews work on the first of four construction projects that are part of a broader revamping of Interstate 494 from U.S. Highway 169 to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, they are using the Eden Prairie site to store rubble removed from the existing roadway, then crush it down to use as gravel beneath the new pavement.
The current construction is occurring on I-494 between East Bush Lake Road in Edina and 12th Ave. N. in Richfield. It includes constructing EZ-Pass lanes on I-494 from Highway 100 to Interstate 35W in each direction and adding a new ramp at the I-35W and I-494 interchange. MnDOT is also replacing the bridges crossing over I-494 at Portland Ave., Nicollet Ave., and 12th Ave., and adding a new pedestrian bridge at Chicago Ave. that crosses over I-494 to provide an additional pedestrian and bicycle connection across I-494.
MnDOT may also use the Eden Prairie site for storing other miscellaneous materials, with crews using the site until the I-494 Edina to Richfield project is complete in 2026.
At this time, there are no planned traffic impacts around the I-494 and Highway 212 interchange in Eden Prairie.
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