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Motorists on Interstate 90 in Austin will be detoured through the weekend of Nov. 15-17 while construction crews demolish the Fourth Street Northwest bridge and prepare to build a new bridge, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The closure of I-90 for the demolition will require detours beginning Friday, Nov. 15 and will be completed by Monday morning, Nov. 18. Initially, westbound ramps at Fourth Street Northwest and the bridge crossing will close during the daytime hours on Friday while crews remove traffic signals and then reopen ramps about 7 p.m., Friday for the bridge demolition.

 The detours during demolition will be:

• Eastbound I-90 traffic will exit at Oakland Avenue/ Highway 105 (Exit 175) on the west side of Austin. Traffic will take Oakland Avenue/Highway 105 east into Austin, continue on Highway 105 south to Mower County Road 28 east to Highway 218 north and return to I-90 on the east side of Austin.
• Westbound I-90 traffic will go up and down the off- and on-ramps (Exit 178A) on the north side of the Fourth Street interchange.

 After demolition

Traffic will resume on I-90 once demolition is completed and cleaned up on Nov. 18.

• Westbound I-90 ramps at Fourth Street Northwest will then close and remain closed until the Fourth Street bridge construction is completed in fall 2025. Bridge construction will begin this winter.
  • The detour for westbound traffic is the 14th Street Northwest/Highway 218 north exit (Exit 177).

• Eastbound I-90 ramps are closed but will open later in December once the eastbound I-90 Cedar River bridge reopens.

The detour for eastbound traffic is to use the Highway 105/Oakland Avenue exit (Exit 175) to reach destinations south of I-90 or the 14th Street Northwest/Highway 218 north exit (Exit 177) for destinations north of I-90.